Not Everyone's a Hero
by lioncousin
Summary: Most people dream about becoming a Huntsmen, a hero to the inhabitants of Remnant. But not everyone can carry out that dream. Due to events outside of his control Athrun Crocell was forced to realize that harsh reality at a young age. The truth is not everyone can be a hero, but being a hero isn't the only way to survive.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to my first RWBY story. The initial inspiration for this story came from CeruleanSorbeltz story Caerulean. I recommend you give it a read if you haven't. The story itself is very original in its development and plot process. Anyways I hope you readers enjoy the first chapter of Not Everyone's a Hero

* * *

"You know, it's kind of hard to get to you if you have the warehouse rigged." a voice called out from behind me.

Turning around I saw a teen about my age with silver-gray hair, wearing a gray and black zip up jacket, with pants of the same design. Seeing that the person that called me out had arrived, I started retracting the wires I had woven around the warehouse back into my vambraces.

"I had to take precautions. You're the one that wanted to meet up Mercury. It isn't good to be late when you're the one that wanted to talk. But most importantly I was bored, I had to do something to pass the time." I replied, turning around to face Mercury as he walked closer to me.

I looked over his shoulder. "You weren't followed, were you?"

Mercury gave me a look that practically answered the question on its own. "Of course not. I might not be like you, Emerald, Neo, even Torchwick, but I know how to make sure I'm not followed. I had an assassin for a father after all. Also take off that mask, I already know what you look like."

I took the half mask off my face, my yellow eyes free to the world, before hanging the mask on my belt. The design behind it was based off of a Nevermore mask. I had the idea for it after noticing the White Fang use Grimm designs for their own masks. "Sorry, just a precaution in case you were followed. I don't want anyone who doesn't know me to be able to recognize my face."

Mercury waved off my concerns. "Don't worry mister _Blue Hawk._ No one is going to know who you are. However keeping your identity a secret for so long with hair and eyes like yours is impressive. But if anyone does somehow wander in here I'm sure we could keep them quiet." Mercury pointed at his boots, and then gestured at NightWing, the two blades attached to the small of my back. Each blade was around the same length as a dirk, as black as obsidian with a double sided edge. The interesting thing about NightWing was that both blades had a gap running through the middle which I could use to catch other people's weapons. They also doubled as pistols when transformed.

I brought a hand through my blue hair and sighed. "Navy blue hair is uncommon, but not condemning enough on its own. Yellow eyes however are much rarer, that's what the mask is for. Also please don't make killing the first option, you know I keep killing as a last resort. Bad for the reputation I'm trying to hold."

"Yeah, yeah that whole 'criminal with morals' thing you got going for yourself. A crime is a crime man, besides you've killed before. We were the ones that helped you find the people you were after. Hell we even helped with the cover up." Mercury replied.

I shot a glare at Mercury. "And because your group helped me is why I do jobs for you every now and again." I pulled one of my blades out, staring at my reflection mirrored in the obsidian colored blade. "I like having a moral code to follow. That one time was a special case. I steal and do some small crime work, but usually nothing too serious goes down unless I get a job from you people. " I put the blade back into its sheath.

"Just because you don't kill people normally, and have helped the occasional faunus and orphan in need won't change anything with the law. You're a still a criminal. They'll lock you up just like any other scumbag in Vale."

I could clearly see that this conversation wasn't going anywhere. Mercury and I were friends in a sense, but he doesn't really understand how I operate. I do what I do out of necessity, and I have a code, a set of rules I follow. One, don't bite off more than I can chew. Two, don't kill any innocents, cops, or Huntsmen. If I'm ever found killing someone then I am forever on Remnant's shit list. Three, pay off my debts. Last, but probably the most important rule, try my best to at least break even with every job. Mercury on the other hand... The group he's a part has some sort of goal they're working towards. Something big, from what I can tell.

I crossed my arms and sent Mercury a look of faux pity. "I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand the complexity behind my way of thinking."

Mercury brought a hand up to his chest, acting as if he was just shot. "Oh Athrun, you hurt me with your words. Do you truly have so little faith in me? I suffer from plenty of verbal abuse already. I don't need any more from you too."

"Knowing you, you've probably said or done something to deserve it. Emerald might yell at you less if you didn't try to piss her off all the time." I offered.

"And what would be the fun in that?" Mercury put an arm around me. "You and I both know that she wants me."

I brushed off Mercury's arm. "The chances of you and Emerald hooking up are as low as actually hearing Neo talk. Do you want my honest opinion Merc?" Mercury leaned in a little closer, curious as to what I have to say.

"I truthfully think you have a better chance with that boss of yours, Cinder, than Emerald," I softly told him.

Mercury leaned back and brought a hand to his chin. The silver haired teen seemed to be really contemplating about his chances.

"Don't give me false hopes man. Cinder is a fine piece of work. I would make a pass at her if there wasn't a chance of me being reduced to ash in an instant." Mercury shrugged his shoulders.. "Nah, I don't think it would happen, but if she did ever offer I wouldn't say no."

I was expecting that sort of answer. "Classic Mercury."

I received a cheeky smile in response.

"What's that supposed to mean Athrun? Enlighten me." Mercury said.

"From what I know about you there are a couple things you take great joy in," I began, making my way over to one of the walls of the warehouse. "Boots, women, and pissing off Emerald," I quickly listed off.

Mercury nodded his head a couple times, seemingly satisfied with my observation. "You know me so well, but you forgot that I love to kick people's ass."

"I didn't think I would have to mention that one. Please forgive me, kicker of ass." I dramatically bowed towards him, which got a light chuckle out of the gray garbed teen.

"Now are you finally going to tell me why you called me out here?" I asked.

"Well Athrun, Cinder has a job offer for you," Mercury stated.

"Details Merc, I need details. I could have guessed on my own that Cinder was offering me another job," I told him, wanting to hurry the process along.

"Hold your horses, I'm getting to that." Mercury said, making his way to my position and placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm just going to start off by saying you might not like the job." I was about to interrupt, but Merc held a finger up to silence me. "Let me finish before you decline. First off the job isn't anything that bad. It's a large scale dust robbery and we just want to make sure things go smoothly. There's been some interruptions in the past so Cinder wanted some insurance that the operation is a success."

"Alright, dust robbery. Nothing new, I've done that before, I don't understand why you would think I would have a problem with that, even if it's on a larger scale. What's the issue?" I asked.

"You'll be working with Roman," Mercury began.

I cupped my chin, "You were right. I don't like the job. I don't even think if I was offered eighty percent of the spoils would I find it worth it to work with that ass-hat." I turned around completely prepared to leave the warehouse through one of the windows. We were on the second floor so it should be easy enough for me to just jump out, but Mercury caught a hold of me before I could leave. I looked down at his hand holding my arm. "What is it?"

"I'm not done talking yet. I know you two don't like each other, hell I don't like him! But I was assigned to get you on board for this job, and I don't feel like getting roasted by Cinder, figuratively and literally because you and Roman can't play nice," Mercury remarked.

"What's stopping me from leaving?"

Mercury chuckled lightly, but let go of my arm. "I'm well aware a little grip like that wouldn't hold you but…" The silver haired teen kicked out his legs a couple times. "You and I both know who would win in a fight."

Mercury wasn't wrong. I've never beat him in one on one combat the couple times we've sparred while I was doing either a robbery or some other type of assignment for the group he was a part of. I'm not sure as to how I would stack up to the rest of his group, either. Emerald has a fighting style that slightly resembles mine based off of her weapons, so I may have a chance against her. I know I don't have a chance against his boss Cinder despite only seeing her in passing, there's a reason why she can keep someone like Mercury so well under wraps. Neo… Well Neo has already used me for what I like to call acrobatics practice, not fun.

The fact of the matter is that fighting Mercury one on one wouldn't end in my favor under these conditions, so option two, running.

"Who said I would have to fight you? My semblance would make it pretty difficult for you to chase after me. Once I'm out of this warehouse I'd be gone." I retorted, prepping the wires loaded in the vambraces around my wrists.

"Neo's calling in her favor for this one."

And just like that, I was stopped from leaving. Sometimes I hate following my rules.

"Shit, why did I think it was a good idea to offer you guys favors in return for your help." I said, pinching the ridge of my nose in annoyance.

"Looks like someone listens when the munchkin is involved." Mercury joked teasingly.

"You know that's not the case. I gave each member of your group one favor from me for your assistance in my personal matters, and I follow through on my promises." I looked Mercury in the eye. "Remember I'm a 'criminal with morals'. I also don't feel like being tossed around by her next time I see her, so continue with the details."

Mercury grinned before continuing. "You'll be helping Roman and some members of the White Fang steal a large, and I'm talking about really large shipment of dust from the Schnee Dust Company. No other problems with this extra bit of information?"

"Besides Roman, not particularly. I am surprised that the White Fang is involved in this. From what I've been able to understand they've been getting more and more radical in their approach towards humans. I didn't think they would ever willingly work with one, especially someone like Torchwick. So far this robbery is sounding anything but simple," I replied..

"Under normal circumstances I'm certain that the White Fang would never work with him, but Cinder has ways to make people cooperate with each other," Mercury said with a knowing smirk.

' _I don't doubt it.'_ From the little I do know about Cinder I can tell she's not someone I want to piss off. "Anything else I need to know?"

Mercury put a finger to his chin for a moment. "Nope, I don't think so. Just make sure everything goes smoothly. If shit does start to go down, then make sure Roman at least makes it out. Cinder needs him still. You'll be meeting up with Roman tomorrow a couple hours before the heist at these coordinates." Mercury handed me a piece of paper with what I assumed to be the location I was to meet one of my least favorite people. "After the mission is complete you'll be getting on a bullhead that will take you, Roman, and the dust you stole to our location where you will be compensated for your work."

Now that last little bit of info piqued my curiosity. "Why would you bring me back to your location? Wouldn't it be easier and safer for me to be given the lien or whatever form of compensation for my services on the bullhead and drop me off somewhere? That way less people would know where you're keeping the dust that's been stolen, less loose ends that way," I told him.

"Well you see…" Mercury scratched the back of his head, probably in an attempt to find the proper phrasing for whatever was coming next. "Cinder said she would like to talk to you after the heist so you're going to be coming back with Roman."

That set off red flags all over. In a business like this and with a group like the one Mercury is a part of, being brought back to their location can only mean so many things. A couple of those things involve my body drifting in the waters of Vale.

My body must have tensed up, or there was just some sign of nervousness or paranoia in my eyes, because Mercury's eyes widened as he held up his hands in a sign of peace.

"Hold up Athrun, calm down. I can tell you right now we aren't planning on offing you after this mission. It's the truth."

"Then why bring me back? All the other times I've been in contact with all of you it would be at a neutral meeting point, what changed?" I asked, not yet believing Mercury. Ready to use my semblance to run at any moment. I refuse to be used and then disposed off like an empty dust cartridge.

"I don't really know, but I can tell you one thing if Cinder wanted you dead after this job we wouldn't need to bring you back to our base to do it."

Despite being told that I could be killed wherever if Cinder wished it, I couldn't help but relax a little. Why? Because what he said was true, and the honesty behind his words weren't missed. "That's supposed to make me feel a lot more secure? Thanks Mercury," I joked.

Mercury slapped me across the back. "Not a problem, but seriously, Cinder only wants to talk. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. What I do know is that I am ninety-eight percent sure she doesn't want you dead, and seventy-two percent sure she won't do anything harmful. You still have your uses, and Cinder isn't one to throw away a valuable asset. Killing you would probably hurt team dynamic a little bit too."

' _Oh?'_

"Mercury, are you telling me you would be upset if I died? I knew you weren't faking being my friend." I said lightheartedly, wanting to get him to continue talking.

Mercury stared at me for a couple seconds. "Well, kind of. You've definitely grown on me a little bit. If we do end up having to kill you for whatever reason I'd be slightly upset, but I'd get over it eventually."

' _Ouch, so don't count on Mercury trying to bale me out if I'm in trouble with his boss. Can't really blame him though, I'd probably look out for myself if I was put in that situation.'_

"Our resident mute though would probably be more upset than me. She's taken a shine to you it seems. Other than Roman she tends to hang around you the most whenever you're around. Cinder values Neo's skills and fighting ability and if we did kill you she'd probably be pissed and wouldn't want to work for a bit. She might even stab some of the others working for us to vent her frustration. That's bad for productivity, so you're worth more alive than dead right now. And most importantly…" Mercury trailed off for a little bit. "Cinder still has her favor you owe her. She wouldn't kill you before using something like that. So consider yourself off limits until that's used up, and as long as you don't spill any beans about what we've been doing."

I scoffed lightheartedly. "Like I actually know what you guys are up to."

"Who knows, one day you just might be brought into the loop." Mercury quipped.

So what I've learned from all of this is that I'm most likely not going to die sometime tomorrow, and most likely won't be disposed off as long as I keep doing what I've been doing. For now at least. If I do find myself in deep shit with them, then there's a small possibility of getting Neo's assistance but I can't count on it.

"Haha, I truly doubt that Merc, besides I like my style of living right now. If that's all then I'm going to be heading out." I said, pointing at the window.

Mercury just waved me off. "Yeah cya, just don't be late, you hear me?"

I gave Mercury a deadpanned look as I pushed past him, and hopped on the ledge of the window. "I don't want to hear it from the one that was late today."

The next moment I jumped out the window and threw my right arm out, releasing a line of wire that attached itself to a billboard, swinging me around and on top of the roof of a corresponding building. I looked behind me, giving Mercury a final wave farewell before activating my semblance, blinking away in a small blue flash.

It didn't take me long to reach the front door of my apartment. A nameplate saying 'Athrun Crocell' was visible on the front of the door. Taking out my keys I let myself into my home.

It wasn't anything fancy. Just enough for one person to live comfortably on his own. A simple one bedroom and bathroom apartment with a small kitchen, and something akin to a living room. Perfect for just my lonesome self. I made my way to the bedroom, stripping off my silver shin guards, vambraces, and my trusted blades. I proceeded to change out of my black and dark blue long sleeve shirt, and matching pants. Opting for a pair of basketball shorts and a simple white tee. I hung my clothes in the closet and put my more delicate equipment in the dresser besides my bed.

I plopped down on my bed and let the sheets surround me, content on letting sleep's gentle embrace take hold of me. I had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a long day, and not just because I had to work with Roman. Might as well get as much rest as I can. I'm most likely going to need it.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was a pilot chapter of sorts so it's a little shorter than my usual target range of 4-5 thousand words. Subsequent chapters will be around that length. As of right now the story does not have a beta, so I apologize for any errors I missed during editing. Please let me know what you liked or disliked, thank you ^.^


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter two. I was actually surprised with how fast I was able to put out this chapter, and thanks to Dongyrn for beta-reading the chapter.**

* * *

If I may brag about myself for a moment I would like to point out that my ability to keep my presence concealed is nothing to laugh at. I'm currently at the coordinates Mercury gave me, a rundown bar in one of the ghettos of Vale, surrounded by faunus from the White Fang, and one self proclaimed criminal mastermind. The beauty of it all is that they have no idea I've been watching them for the past fifteen minutes. It feels good knowing you can keep yourself hidden from so many faunus. Hiding from humans is pretty easy in most situations, but faunus are trickier due to their heightened senses.

I could have shown myself to them immediately, but I thought it would be better to observe how well my _partner_ and the White Fang are cooperating.

"Holy dust! You mutts are useless. What does a man have to do to get at least decent help these days. I'm not even asking for good, just decent."

And it is as poor as I expected it to be. I'm genuinely surprised that the members of the White Fang are just taking this verbal abuse from Roman. The man is a blatant racist and likes to flaunt his authority. If he feels like he's superior to someone then he'll let you know. That kind of attitude isn't something that would mix well with the White Fang's ideology. They might somehow be business partners through Cinder, but I thought they were proud enough to at least demand respect from the orange haired schmuck. Not that he would have listened.

"And where the hell is the kid? He was supposed to be here an hour ago."

' _I am here, and it's fifteen or maybe twenty minutes ago you prick. Not an hour.'_

I watched as Roman called a couple White Fang members over to him. He wasn't talking as loudly so I couldn't quite hear what he said, but I don't think I need to. The man was obviously mocking me. He pulled a piece of blue paper out of his pocket and pointed at his own hair, afterwards he started throwing his arms out in an attempt to mimic my use of wires. I should have felt insulted but I was too amused by how ridiculous Roman looked. The White Fang members he was talking to also seemed as if they had no idea what the bowler hat wearer was trying to do.

Might as well make myself known. I've seen enough.

"Roman, it isn't nice to talk about people as if they aren't there." My voice echoed through the bar.

Heads turned to look towards my position, gazing up at me as I calmly sat on top of one of the many supporting beams connected to the ceiling. It was slightly unnerving to see that multiple weapons were now trained on me, but I managed to keep myself relatively calm, and the mask should help with any facial cues that could have given away my false bravado.

I jumped down from my perch and gazed past all of the White Fang in the building. Solely focusing on Roman.

"As much as it pains me to say this, you can all put down your weapons. This is our guy," Roman told the White Fang. I didn't miss his look of disappointment though when he had to give the order for me to not be riddled with bullets.

Roman was looking as smug as ever. Both hands on his cane. Orange hair glossy like usual, a bowler hat, and a pristine white suit. Who does he think he is, a mob boss?

"Well well well, if it isn't my favorite mask-wearing pain in the ass. Tell me something Blue Hawk, do you enjoy making me cringe everytime I look at you? That outfit of yours is disgusting, and that mask," Roman pointed at my face. "Trying to look cool? Haven't you heard, masks are for comic book characters. You look stupid."

' _Don't stab him Athrun, you're supposed to be keeping him from getting hurt.'_

"Well unlike some I like to keep my identity a secret. It's actually nice to be able to walk along the streets of Vale in the morning without worrying about cops being after my ass. But your love for the dramatic seems to have overpowered your common sense if you had any in the first place. Now look at you," I gave Roman a once over, my lips curled into a sneer. "A poor excuse of a man, hiding in the shadows like a rat."

A couple jeers, and snickers could be heard from the surrounding members of the White Fang, which pleased me and annoyed Roman even more.

Roman, turned his back to me to address the small crowd of faunus around us. "Shouldn't you all be, I don't know… working right now?!" He exclaimed, causing the surrounding White Fang members to disperse in a mass of grumbles. "Idiots, the lot of them."

I pulled up a chair, letting myself get comfortable. "Roman, no need to be so rude. They're working with us on this operation. Maybe it would be better for you to treat them with some respect? They might actually want to work harder."

Roman slowly walked closer to me. "Maybe if I was surrounded by competent individuals I would be just a tad bit nicer. That includes you." He retorted, holding two fingers close together in an attempt at scaling how useful we were. Judging by the almost nonexistent gap between his fingers then I would have to say on a scale from one to ten we would be maybe a fifth of one whole point. That's a generous guess also.

"Well this 'useless' individual is going to stick around because he has a job to complete. I'm about as thrilled for this whole arrangement as you are, which isn't much at all. But Cinder had me come here for a reason." I waved my hand as if I was disregarding him. "Maybe instead of blaming others you should look at yourself for your failures."

Roman's hand tightened around his cane. Made me wonder if I might have pushed him too far, I couldn't help it. The guy just rubbed me the wrong way. Brings out my inner Mercury I think.

"My failures? Please, I have been stealing dust from every corner in Vale. If anything my operations have been a huge success. I don't need a smart mouth kid that's not even a part of the big leagues to be telling me how to do my job." Roman barked. I had to quickly stand up so I wouldn't fall over when the orange haired criminal so rudely knocked over my chair with his cane.

"I enjoyed that chair."

"And I would enjoy nothing more than popping a cap or two in your face, but we all can't get what we want sadly. The sooner you learn that the sooner you can grow up." Roman said sweetly.

I crossed my arms and cocked a brow his way, not that he could see it but he probably gets the message. "Trust me I know, because right now I would love nothing more than to make you shut up. However, I feel like that even if I sew your mouth shut," I released several wires from my vambraces and stretched them out with my hands, before reeling them back in. "You would still find someway to talk."

Roman dramatically shook his body to show me how threatened he felt by my words, which was not at all. "I am just terrified. How about I give you a small lesson, kiddo? You see, it isn't smart to make empty threats to someone who has far more connections than you and could use those connections to silence you." Roman drew finger across his neck, as if I didn't already get the message.

"Please, you wouldn't kill me for the same reason why I can't bring myself to fix that thing you call a face." I said as I brushed past the crime lord. His cane found my arm and held me in place.

Roman wasn't done talking yet though, much to my personal disappointment. I had fun messing with him earlier, but now I'm finding myself to be annoyed more and more by just being in his presence. Actually being around Roman might just be a danger to my health now that I think about it. My stress levels seem to skyrocket when I'm around him. Doesn't that like shorten my lifespan or something? Not good.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easy mister. What do you mean by that?" Roman asked.

I let out a small sigh. "Neo. If I seriously hurt you then she'd get sad, and more importantly she would then proceed to kick my ass so hard I wouldn't even be able to feel the blade slide through my ribs when she inevitably stabs me." I brought a finger to my chin. "Actually she would probably beat me to the point where I could just still feel pain, so my death does remain painful."

"Don't be talking like you actually care about what she thinks." Roman remarked, his eyes narrowing.

"Hey, just because I'm an asshole to you doesn't mean I'm an ass to her. She actually treats me well when I'm not being tossed around. Unlike the companion she associates herself with." I unhooked myself from Roman's rubbing my arm. That cane of his is really hard.

"Listen kiddo, there are only a couple things that I actually care about: Myself, making a profit, and Neo. She doesn't have too many people close to her and even less people that she considers a friend. How you ever made it as one of them I'll never understand, but..." Roman stared at me, and I mean really stared at me. Not the creepy stare but the stare that lets you know he is being completely real with you. "You do anything that messes with those things and I will end you."

Its very rare to see this side of Roman. The not so egotistical dick-wad side of him. It actually makes me almost respect him. Key word being almost. I don't think I'd ever be able to genuinely respect the man.

"Roman, one of the last things you have to worry about right now is me hurting Neo. I already told you she could beat me without a problem. On a more serious note I do view her as a genuine friend." I replied, losing my sarcastic edge.

"As long as we're clear on that note then I think I can leave you alive for a little while longer. If I kill you without reason then I'll have to come up with a believable backstory as to why and then get Neo to believe me. That's the hard part." Roman said, turning his attention back to the White Fang and barking out orders.

An idea sprang to mind in that instant. Now it wasn't a good idea, but I couldn't help myself. Roman and I seemed to be moving towards almost cordial levels of conversation and that just doesn't feel right to me.

"That's good. If you decided not to kill me yet then does that mean you're also over the whole scenario where I, um, acquired some free dust you decided to provide me?"

A smile morphed on Roman's face as he slowly redirected his attention to me. Not a pleasant smile either, it was one of those smiles you wore to try and strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. It was a smile that promised pain, sadness, agony, and many other negative results. Currently this smile was directed at me.

"You know what, Athrun-"

"Blue Hawk while we're working Roman, the White Fang don't know my actual name yet. I would much rather keep it that way." I interrupted. In return for my input I found a cane pressed snugly in my chest. Roman's finger was on the trigger ready to fire a dust round point blank.

' _Huh, I might have egged him on too much this time.'_ I thought as I watched Roman play around with the trigger of Melodic Cudgel.

"As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted. You know, Athrun, I was starting to think we might have just maybe come to an understanding." Roman lowered his weapon for a little, which allowed me to relax, but it was all for naught. Because the moment I thought I was safe, he lifted the cane and just pushed it harder against my chest. "Nope, No relaxing my boy. Now that you so _kindly_ reminded me. You did end up hurting my potential gains after a heist once. I knew there was a good reason why I despised you. Hurting profits is one of my three offensives punishable with death, which you have done."

Roman leaned in close to my face. "So how are you going to convince me not to blow a hole in your chest cavity?"

"Because it wasn't even a full crate's worth of dust and you just said I was one of Neo's few friends. You wouldn't want to take that away from her. Also Cinder would be upset, I think?" I offered weakly.

Roman lowered his cane, and started massaging his head with his free hand. "Just get in the damn Bullhead. We're ready to leave." He said, gesturing towards the Bullheads waiting outside.

I complied without a smartmouth comment this time, making my way outside the rundown bar and into the Bullhead. Roman followed after me, causing us to sit awkwardly next to each other in the confines of the airship, as it lifted off and flew towards our destination.

* * *

"Alright so here's how things are going to go down. The White Fang have already started loading up all the dust at the site. I'm going to make sure they don't screw up, and you're going to stay out of my way." Roman told me as the Bullhead got closer to the site.

"Stay out of your way until you ask for me to come save you, you mean," I shot back. I stood up from my seat and approached the pilot.

"Let me out here." I said.

The pilot nodded before opening up the side of the bullhead.

"And what do you think you're doing? We're not quite at the site yet," Roman barked.

"Don't worry about me Roman, I'll be at the site. If anyone wants to interrupt your operation I don't want to be seen with you when you get off the Bullhead. I can watch from the sides and jump in once trouble starts brewing. Surprise them," I replied.

"Fine, do what you want. I hope you fall on your face during your landing."

I didn't even respond as I let myself fall out of the airship. Free fall is an amazing experience. The wind whipping through me face relieves me of my worries, and helps me relax. It's especially nice knowing that I won't end up as a blood splatter on the ground below. I spotted a crane right in front of me, and my landing strategy was formed.

Wires erupted from both of my arms and attached themselves to the crane before reeling me in. Both of my feet firmly planted on the side of the crane, and once I found a firm hold on the structure I unattached my wires. My position gave me a decent overwatch over the heist location and I could see members of the White Fang loading up crate after crate of dust into large shipping containers. The problem with such a high vantage point was that while I could see everything, I was also quite visible.

Dropping down from my vantage point I opted for the roof of a nearby warehouse. It should suit my needs well enough.

Just in time too. Roman's Bullhead just arrived, the dust thief walking out as if he owned the place, classic Roman style, barking out orders. If I had to guess he was saying something along the lines of "Hey you animals, get a move on, we're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment." Something like that. His eyes constantly roaming until he finally caught sight of me. Seeing that I was at the site he continued ordering around the White Fang without giving me a second glance so as not to give away my position to any potential onlookers.

"Well seeing as if he's here and-"

A sudden flash of movement caught my eye and the next thing I saw was Roman being held with a sword to his neck by a girl dressed in black and white, a bow on her head. Surrounding members of the White Fang training their weapons on the intruder.

' _I spoke too soon. Of course something was going to happen.'_

I prepared to move, but the girl reached up and unraveled the bow, revealing a pair of cat ears. I was curious. I expected police, maybe some sort of Huntsmen if anyone was to interrupt the operation, but a faunus? Why would she try and stop Roman and the White Fang?

"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?" The girl's question echoed across the docks.

Roman chuckled a little which caused the faunus girl to bring her weapon closer to his throat. "Oh kid, didn't you get the memo? The White Fang and I are going on a joint business venture together!"

"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation." The girl shot back.

The roar of more bullheads arriving caused the girl to look up with a shocked expression. That small distraction was all I need.

My right arm extended out and the black garbed girl's sword arm was snared by my wires. I pulled sharply causing the blade to vacate the area around Roman's throat. The criminal then proceeded to shoot at the girl's feet with Melodic Cudgel, sending her flying back.

I dropped down onto the docks and stood beside Roman while he dusted off his suit.

"You know you could've stepped in earlier. Having a blade to your neck isn't that comfortable." Roman quipped at me.

I unsheathed NightWing, holding a blade in each hand. "Sorry Roman, I was just imagining that it was my blade at your throat. Took me some time to exit my fantasy." I replied cheekily.

"Brat." Roman turned his attention back to the faunus girl and proceeded to unleash a salvo of high powered dust rounds at her.

"The fuck do you think you're doing? You're going to be attracting too much attention to the operation!" I hissed at him.

Roman just continued to fire off more rounds at the girl. "The operation is already blown kid. Just do your job and I'll try to make sure we make it out with as much dust as possible."

"Fine." I grumbled out. Transforming one of my blades into it's pistol form I shot an incoming object that I caught out of the corner of my eye. Which turned out to just be a banana peel.

' _A banana peel?'_ I was feeling insulted that someone threw a banana peel and not something actually dangerous like a dust grenade.

Tracing back the trajectory of the banana peel I saw another individual on top of one of the rooftops. Blonde hair, and a tail. Most likely a monkey faunus. Lifting up my weapon I was happy to note the evident 'Oh shit.' look on his face before I opened fire. Forcing the man to take cover.

"Roman, get the White Fang to latch the dust onto the Bullheads. I'll hand our other intruder. Do you think you can take the girl?" I asked.

"Don't be giving me any orders." Roman replied. However, he was already moving to intercept the faunus girl.

With Roman handling one of our intruders, and the White Fang finishing up loading the dust that just left me with our last unwelcome visitor.

I heard footsteps come from my left and turned to see the man, a staff poised to strike. I blocked with one on blades, and shot off a couple more rounds with my transformed pistol. The blonde twirled his staff blocking all of my shots. Before moving back on the offensive.

Switching the pistol back into NightWing's bladed form. I faced my opponent both blades at the ready. Good thing too because I needed both of them to defend myself. The money faunus' fighting style _flowed._ Each movement transitioned to the next without effort and I could tell he had some sort of training.

I caught his staff with my blades bringing us to a deadlock.

"So, nice mask you got there. I'm guessing you won't just back off and leave the dust behind will you?" the blonde asked me.

"Sadly no. My employer would be really upset, and from the little that I do know, I don't want to be on her shit list." My foot shot out, and hit the monkey faunus in the knee cap causing his right leg to collapse. I pushed the advantage by hitting him across the chin with a spinning hook kick sending the faunus stumbling to the ground. "Thanks for the compliment on the mask though." I finally said.

The monkey faunus rose back up to his feet carefully, observing my movements. If he doesn't want to make a move that's fine by me. I attached my wires to NightWing's two blades and I threw them at him. The look of surprise on his face told me he wasn't expecting that sort of attack and he dove to the side to avoid getting hit. The faunus rolled back to his feet and rushed me.

' _Perfect.'_ I reeled back in my wires. Watching as my weapons flew towards my opponent's back. Something must have clued him in on my plan because at the last moment he slammed his staff on the ground and vaulted over me, aiming a kick at my head that I barely managed to block with my vambraces. NightWing having returned to my hands, I slashed out forcing the faunus to back off as I pushed the offensive.

None of my strikes were landing, but the blonde haired faunus wasn't able to find a gap in my attacks either. I knew he would slip soon under the pressure of defending against two weapons though. Eventually he did slip, applying too much pressure to his back leg I delivered a powerful cross slash that caused my opponent to stumble back a little bit.

I wasn't done yet. I released a thread of wire from my left vambrace that wrapped around his wrist. I pulled him back towards me and landed a right hook across his face.

I spared a glance to see how Roman was holding up against his opponent and it seems like he was doing well. The girl seemed to be frustrated and that frustration was evident in her attacks. It made her more predictable and Roman was abusing that to the fullest, blocking and parrying all of her strikes while landing small blows in between her assault, slowly but surely whittling away her aura.

I walked towards the monkey faunus. "I would really appreciate it if you could take your friend and leave. You shouldn't be involved with stuff like this." I told him.

I felt something wrap around my ankle, looking down I saw that it was the teen's tail.

' _Shit.'_

I was pulled of my feet and received an elbow to the gut. The faunus wasn't done, he twirled around and smashed his staff across the side of my head sending me flying back in the direction of Roman.

"I was really hoping I could've smacked that mask right off of your face." I heard him call out to me.

Standing back up I transformed both of NightWing's blades into their pistol form. "Not happening." I opened fire.

The monkey faunus ran behind one of the surrounding dust crates for cover forcing me to stop shooting. My rounds don't have the same explosive power as Roman's but I don't want to accidentally blow up this side of the docks due to an unlucky stray bullet.

I cautiously approached the crate, flipping over it ready to bring my blades down on, nothing? A whistle from my right was the only warning I received but it was enough. I lifted up my right arm blocking the attack with my vambrace. I saw another object approach me from the left which I blocked with one of NightWing's blades. Staring at me was a smirking monkey faunus.

I was forced on the defensive as the teen released a torrent of blows from his gunchucks. Freaking gunchucks! I've never been on the receiving end of such a ridiculous weapon in my life! The worst thing was is that it was highly effective. I would block the initial strike from my opponent's weapons but he would then release a salvo of buckshot at me from point blank. Very annoying.

The Faunus was starting to grow confident if the ever present smirk on his face was anything to go by. ' _Not gonna happen buddy.'_ A plan formulated in my head. It most likely wasn't a good one, but it could work. I blocked one of my opponents gunchucks with the blade in my right hand, moving my head to the side slightly to avoid the gunshot that followed, and then pushed forward close to my opponents core. The faunus swung his free weapon at me but I turned myself to the right and let my back and aura take the hit. It still hurt like a bitch and I felt my aura drop a good amount but it let me get in position.

I forced myself down near his core and shoved my left elbow deep into his solar plexus. The satisfying "Ugh" I heard let me know my attack connected right where I wanted it to. Twisting around him I slashed across his chest, back, and then grabbed his tail.

From my personal experience, a faunus' animalistic features usually have really sensitive nerve endings. Very useful bit of information when you want to make sure one of them stays out of a fight.

Squeezing down hard, I heard a very masculine, and by masculine I meant quite feminine, yelp escape from my captives mouth, before pulling back, making him gasp in pain. I bashed the flat of one of NightWing's blades against his head, knocking him onto the ground, groaning in pain.

I looked over at Roman and sure enough it looked as if he was done with his opponent as well. The faunus girl on her stomach, Roman's cane poised and ready to fire at any moment.

Making my way towards the crime lord I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Leave them. We have the dust, let's just get moving. Killing would bring too much attention." I told him.

"Listen kiddo, I get that you don't like the whole killing thing but you'll have to get used to it. Pests like these." Roman pointed towards the fallen faunus girl. "Are bad for business. They're like roaches and keep coming back so excuse me and let me get on wi-"

"Hey!"

Roman and I both turned our head towards the source of the new voice. The owner being a young girl in red and black with a scythe.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Roman hissed.

"Friend of yours?" I joked.

"Another nuisance is more accurate," he replied, turning his attention to the red haired girl. "Hello Red, isn't it past your bedtime?"

I saw another faint silhouette behind the girl dubbed 'Red' so I nudged Roman's arm to grab his attention. "There's another one behind her." I pointed out.

"Grr," Roman grunted firing off a shot from Melodic Cudgel, knocking down the scythe wielding girl while she was distracted by her companion. Which caused Roman to laugh wickedly in response.

"You found amusement from blasting a young girl. What else do you find funny, kicking puppies?" I asked him, disappointment evident in my voice.

"Ugh, you're such a buzzkill."

The sound of weapons being drawn brought our attention away from each other, as a girl with orange hair jumped from the ceiling, with multiple swords floating behind her connected by wires.

I couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Something just felt off about this girl.

My feelings were justified, because in the span of mere moments she defeated a swarm of White Fang henchman, and shot a damn laser beam. A damn fucking laser beam! At two bullheads, cleaving through them like a hot knife through butter. If that wasn't a clue to cut our losses and take what we could, then I don't know what is.

"Roman we need to leave, now!" I yelled at my current partner.

"For once I think we agree on something." Roman said, running in the direction of the Bullhead that was supposed to transport us.

I was following right behind Roman until I heard a couple 'Schlick' noises behind me.

That strange girl planted her blades in the last Bullhead carrying out the dust.

' _No you don't.'_

I threw both blades of NightWing and severed the wires that allowed the girl to control her blades, before reeling the blades back to me and sheathing them. With the Bullhead freed, it flew off to wherever it was Roman was hoarding all the dust. My job complete I ran into the last remaining Bullhead. Roman closed the hatch behind me.

I looked at the orange haired criminal, panting. "Huh, I'm surprised you didn't leave me behind." I managed to say.

"Don't make me have any second guesses kiddo." He retorted as the Bullhead flew away.

"So, where are we dropping you off?" Roman asked me.

I took off my mask, seeing that it was just me and Roman in this specific Bullhead, and the driver was too preoccupied with flying to catch a look at my face. "Same place as wherever you're heading. Mercury said that Cinder supposedly wanted to talk me."

Roman's eyes widened a little in surprise. "Well, I would say it was nice knowing you kid, but that would be a lie." Roman snarked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I brushed him off before giving him the bird. "Thanks, asshole."

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you liked or disliked in a review or PM me any questions you may for reading and I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Not Everyone's a Hero.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3, I would like to say thank you to those that have reviewed and have given me helpful input in the progression of this story. Also again a thanks to my beta for looking over the chapter. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in a review or PM me. I try my best to respond to all of them. Also for guest reviewers I apologize for not responding to your reviews but I feel like doing so in chapter would extend my word count too much. If my readers don't mind though I'll probably start answering your reviews in an AN at the end of the chapter, starting with chapter 4. Let me know if you would want me to do that or not. Now to the chapter!**

* * *

After the Bullhead landed I followed Roman to a secluded warehouse on the edge of Vale. Now that I think about it, this is the second sketchy warehouse I've been to in the past day. I really hope that this doesn't become a recurring thing, that would just be weird.

Roman opened the door to the warehouse and I walked in after him. The place was relatively empty besides some large shipments of dust scattered throughout the interior. I expected a bit more, I don't know… just stuff to be going on, like out of one of those crime movies. Maybe my expectations were too high because of Roman being a more notorious criminal and the fact that I was involved in my largest dust robbery to date. Not to mention that the person that organized this whole charade wanted to talk to me.

' _Oh shit, Cinder still wants to talk to me, can this day just end yet? I've already been around Roman for most of the night.'_

"Athrun, get over here. I need to talk to you about something."

Hearing my name called out brought me out of my own inner musing. My favorite cane wielding criminal was standing next to a table, he must have made his way over there while I was observing the warehouse.

"Are you actually starting to enjoy my company Roman? If so I would like for you to stop and continue hating me. The thought of you being my friend sends chills down my spine, not the good kind in case you were wondering," I told Roman cheekily.

Roman rolled his eyes at me before pointing to the spot next to him with his cane. Surprisingly I complied with his unspoken request and stepped up beside him.

"Alright here's the thing," Roman began as he pulled out his scroll which had a spreadsheet of data displayed across it, "here's the amount of dust we were supposed to have stolen from this heist." Roman pointed at a set of graphs and numbers, let me just say right now that we did not acquire the amount of dust that was on the spreadsheet. "This is how much dust we actually acquired." A new set of data appeared on the scroll and from looking at the numbers I estimated that around twenty-three percent of the target number was actually stolen, which is pretty bad.

"I get it. The dust stolen isn't anywhere close to how much you were supposed to get. How does that affect me at all?" I asked.

Roman proceeded to stare at me like I was the most idiotic person on Remnant, but this is Roman, so no offense was taken.

"How does this affect you? What do you mean how does this affect you!?" The criminal began to walk circles around me as he spoke.

"In the business world, especially the criminal business world, you're supposed to bring back results. Good results. Got that?"

I nodded my head.

"Very good, now here's the problem." Roman stopped in front of me, cane stretched out in front of him. "We failed to bring forth proper results. If we were honest individuals we might get a warning or in the worst case scenario we would get fired." Roman stared at me to see if I was still following along with his explanation. I nodded at him to continue. "However in the world of crime if you mess up getting fired is far from the worst thing that could happen, so we're going to be coming up with a good enough explanation to save our hides," Roman finished, waiting for my response.

I gave Roman a deadpan stare. "First, don't talk to me like I'm stupid. Everything you said is basic knowledge, who do you think I am? I was expecting you to say something actually useful," I replied.

Roman was about to respond with some smart-ass comment but I held a hand up silencing him. "Don't answer that. Second, I still don't see how anything you said applies to me. I completed my mission objective."

Roman only stared at me with wide eyes, his hands gripping his cane tighter and tighter. "What do you mean? Did you forget the part about not stealing enough dust? Were the numbers and graphs on my scroll not enough for you to realize that?" Roman asked incredulously.

"I can read a graph Roman. The thing is you're acting like your job and my job were the same." I stared into Roman's green eyes with my own yellow orbs. "My job was to make sure you made it out okay if things started to go south. Which I succeeded in doing. You're job was to steal the dust. So the only person you need to be worrying about right now is yourself. I appreciate you looking out for me... oh, wait. You were only spending time with me to see if I could help you come up with a way out of this pit you found yourself in," I said with an innocent smile.

Roman looked as if he wanted to say something but the words died before they could leave his mouth. The reason being that he knew I was right. I even told him before the mission started that my objective was to secure his safety, which I did. Going by that logic I should be in the clear when Cinder arrives. Go me.

"So you're just going to let me deal with this myself then?" Roman asked me, eyes narrowed.

"Hey, don't give me that look. You would do the same to me in this kind of situation. Don't even try to deny it," I spat back.

"I actually don't think I could. I might be a professional thief and a liar but I don't even think I could say that with a straight face." He admitted twirling his cane.

"At least you can be honest about that," I started walking away from Roman, and sat myself on top of one of the crates of dust. "Look just because the whole dust robbery thing did go as far south as Vacuo I'll back you up with whatever bullshit excuse you decide to present Cinder, but I don't want to waste my time helping you come up with said excuse. So you're on your own there."

I think I heard Roman grumble something about me being a "selfish shit" before walking off, which I found ironic coming from him, the most self centered person I know.

Seeing that I was finally out of the company of Vale's resident crime lord I thought I could finally catch a moment to myself before Cinder shows up.

At least I thought that until someone decided to pop in for a little visit.

A pair of slim arms wove around my neck and draped down my chest. Initially I was surprised and prepared myself to try and throw off the person that was able to sneak up on me so effectively. That was until I noticed that the gesture wasn't threatening or harmful in any way, instead it was a show of affection.

A sigh escaped my lips, "Neo, you really gotta stop doing that. I was close to trying to toss you over my shoulder," I lightly scolded my surprise visitor, leaning my head back and tilting it to the right which caused me to look directly at Neo's smirking face. That smirk she wore and the cocked eyebrow asked me if I actually thought I could throw her. Which, I don't think I could, not due to a lack of strength of course.

"To be fair at first I didn't know it was you and I did say TRY to throw you over my shoulder, not succeed."

The mute girl unwrapped her arms and flicked my nose with her right hand teasingly.

"No need to brag about your superior combat skills, trust me, I know. Several sore mornings can attest to that," I told her as I got off the dust crate, and turned around so I could look at Neo face to face. Even though I was now on the floor and she was on the crate, I was still slightly taller than her.

Neo quickly overtook the spot I vacated. Both hands flat on the crate, her legs crossed over each other giving her a look of elegance and class. She was in her usual white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, and gray boots with sported very high heels. Under her jacket she wore a black corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. The girl definitely knew her fashion.

I must have been staring at her and her outfit pretty intently because suddenly Neo was gazing up at me batting her eyelashes.

"Sorry half-pint, couldn't help myself. You definitely know how to make yourself look go- OW! I was about to compliment you!" I exclaimed rubbing my left arm after she whacked me with her umbrella. I swear it wasn't in her hand a moment ago, when was she able to pull it out?

Neo pouted at me before turning her head sideways, umbrella laying across her lap. I have to admit, it was a cute image.

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry for insinuating that you are short. You already hit me for it, can we go back to being friends now?" I asked her.

A lone finger made it up to Neo's chin, tapping it as she prepared to pass judgement. The girl made a passing glance my way before looking back up at the ceiling seemingly uninterested, before eventually she held her hand out to me, which I took as she hopped off the crate.

"Thank you for your forgiveness. I will not forget this show of mercy," I joked, dropping to a knee before her. Causing Neo to silently giggle behind her free hand. "Now, as I was saying before I was suddenly jabbed..." I sent Neo an accusing glare, which she tried her best to look as innocent as possible. "You're looking as fine as always Neo, couldn't help but stare a little. Exposing your hips like you do is more appealing than an exposed midriff in its own way," I declared.

The tri-colored girl let go of my hand and popped her hip out to the right, and opened her umbrella behind her. Making her look even more appealing.

"Nice pose, but you don't even have to try if you're wanting to show off," I told her, which of course just caused her to play dumb.

"You knew exactly what you were doing, don't play coy with me." That pose of her's was totally on purpose, as expected though Neo silently denied my accusations.

I shook my head from side to side. "There's no point in debating this with a mute. I can't get you to admit to anything."

I received a playful hit to the arm. "What? You don't talk, I'm pretty sure mute's don't talk."

My comment caused Neo to puff her cheeks out and pout a little, I just stretched my right hand out and started patting her head, cue pout intensifying.

"I would say I'm sorry but I'm really not, that pout you're doing is too adorable. And it's not because of your height either."

Suddenly Neo grasped my hand with both of hers, and tensed the muscles in her leg. I have gone through scenarios like this before and they all end with me on my back and a midget gloating at my downed form.

"Please don't throw me, better yet don't stab me, I'm sorry, I swear!" I quickly said, hoping that I could be spared from punishment.

Neo just looked at me expectantly, alright so I gotta say more. "Umm... I apologize for saying you were a mute, that was awfully rude of me." It's true though…

Neo started nodding so that was good, but her grip on me was still tight so I'm not out of the woods yet. "I'm sorry for saying you're adorable?" I received a deadpan stare for that comment, not good, not good. "I take it back! You are incredibly adorable." A closed eye smile emerged on her face, so that's good. Back on track, what else could I say, oh that could work. "On top of being adorable you're also incredibly deadly, which adds to your never ending appeal, and my favorite ice cream buddy," I finished. Neo let go of my arm, and I internally rejoiced at the fact that I wasn't going to be thrown around just yet by a miniature psycho.

I tried to bring my hand back to my side, but I found that my short-statured friend caught a hold of it once more. "What, I thought I was in the clear?" I asked.

Neo nodded in confirmation that I was indeed safe from being tossed around, but then placed my hand back on top of her head.

"Did you like me patting your head?" A bright smile spread across the girl's face so that's a yes.

"If you liked it then why did you make me fear for my life while I was doing it the first time?" I questioned, still patting her head.

Neo moved my hand away and answered me with what I like to call the 'really' look. It was when she would quirk up one brow tilt her head up at me and give me this accusing look that would make me feel stupid, very stupid. It's highly effective.

"It was the mute comment wasn't it? You already made me apologize for that so how about we move on before I dig myself a deeper hole," I said sending Neo my best smile in hopes she'll let the matter drop. Which luckily she did, sauntering off to the entrance of the warehouse. I made sure to follow on her left.

"So, Neo?"

Neo turned her head towards me, letting me know she was paying attention.

"If you're here, then is Cinder here as well?" I questioned. If the vicious smile she wore on her face was any indication then, yes, Cinder has indeed arrived.

"Aren't you worried that Roman might get in trouble? As you can tell," I spread my arms apart to indicate how empty the warehouse currently was. "He wasn't that successful ."

The girl held up the 'OK' gesture with her fingers.

"You're probably right, he's a smooth talker and really crafty, not mentioning he probably still has his uses as well if Cinder wanted me to make sure he made it back in one piece. No, this does not mean that I am worried for the bastard at all before you even imply anything. I made sure he made it back here alright, it would really suck if I went through all that effort to see him get beaten to a pulp," I declared.

The quiet snicker that escaped Neo's mouth clued me in on the fact that she didn't believe my reasoning. Oh well, it's the truth. I didn't want my time spent keeping him in pristine condition to go to waste unless if I'm the one that's hitting him.

As we got closer to the door I saw that Roman was standing by himself with three individuals across from him. I was able to recognize Cinder from the couple of glancing glimpses I've caught of her in the past, and judging from the silhouettes of her two companions they're Emerald and Mercury.

"Let's not forget that you were the one that suggested I should work with those mutts from the White Fang," I heard Roman tell Cinder.

"I might not agree with Roman's racial treatment towards them, but I do have to admit that those members of the White Fang weren't the most competent bunch. They did a good job loading up the dust but they were unremarkable in the defense of the goods," I interjected, announcing Neo's and my arrival.

Cinder looked at me with a calculating gleam in her eyes, while Roman just seemed to be glad that my presence is taking the attention away from him for the moment.

"Roman, we'll finish this conversation later. Just know that you'll continue to work with the White Fang and that I expect better results in the future," she said to the bowler hat wearer before taking a couple steps towards me. The two people behind her followed from behind revealing themselves to be Emerald and Mercury just like I thought they were. Mercury had a knowing look on his face that made me uncomfortable and Emerald just looked like she didn't want to be here.

"Hello Blue Hawk, or would Athrun Crocell be better?" Cinder asked me.

This has been the closest I've ever been to the leader of Mercury's group. The only other times I've seen her were in passing and she's never spoken to me before so I can't help but notice that she is quite the specimen, just like Mercury said she was, and her voice was seductive. I don't think any other word could describe it.

"Blue Hawk while we're around others that don't already know who I am, but Athrun otherwise since you already know my name. The name for the alias wasn't of my choosing. I probably would have gone with something shorter and simpler if Vale PD didn't assign me a name," I calmly told her, but on the inside I was freaking out. I had no idea what Cinder wanted with me since I've never outright spoken with her before. She also just carries this foreboding aura around her, makes me nervous.

A small smile formed on Cinder's lips. "No need to be so tense Athrun, I don't plan on hurting you. Relax a little bit. I'm sure Mercury told you I just wanted to talk."

' _Was I really that obvious? I thought I was doing a good job keeping myself under control.'_

"Someone is really good at reading people it seems. And yeah, he told me that," I said, trying to play off how nerve racking this situation really was for me.

"I try my best. You see, I wanted to talk with you because you managed to catch my interest," Cinder remarked.

My arms naturally crossed over my chest. "How have I managed to do that? The first time I associated myself with your group you had me talk to you through Mercury, every other time proceeding that I would sometimes see you in passing but you've never shown any interest before. What changed?"

Cinder's eyes burrowed deep into me, that small smile of hers still plastered on her face. "It's not that I never talked to you out of lack of interest, Athrun. It's more I had to make sure you were the right person before I interacted with you myself. Just precautions is all. I hope you didn't take any offense due to my silence."

"None at all, I can understand safety precautions. I use them too," I pointed at the mask now hanging off my belt, "hence the mask. You still never answered why you decided to spare me your time now though."

Cinder strut forward stopping a mere couple of inches in front of me. Her eyes glanced over my body. Seeing Cinder this close I'll admit that she is one of the most exotic women I have ever seen. "My curiosity started with that first request you came to us with a year ago. It's not rare for someone to want a benefactor when it comes to starting off in crime but you have been stealing and living the lifestyle of a small criminal for a couple years. You may have had a name for all the robberies you've made but you have never done anything that could be considered condemning on your record."

Cinder placed a hand on my shoulder. "Until you came to us, that is. Imagine my surprise when a mere thief wanted to know the whereabouts of three faunus: John Stark, Rowen Watch, and Corrin Ashada. All three of them were nobodies wasting away within the slums of Vale somewhere, not a single lien in their name, so why would a skilled thief want to know where these three specific individuals were? Wanting to know the answer I had Mercury give you the information you wanted. I had a hunch, but I wanted to see if I was right."

Cinder's hand moved from my shoulder to my cheek, her hand felt remarkably warm. "I was pleased to see that my hunch was correct when a week later you contacted us again requesting our help in covering up the deaths of those three individuals. Mercury let me know that all three of them were clean kills."

"Haha, oh shit! How hypocritical that the person that told me to treat those poor savages better has actually killed faunus himself," Roman laughed.

"Can it, Shitwick," I growled, but Roman continued to give me that stupid smile of his. Luckily for him Neo made her way over and jabbed him with her umbrella, shaking her head from side to side, shutting him up before I did. Roman grumbled about it but he stopped giving me that annoying look.

"Roman, no need for you to be laughing at Athrun here, the situation was a special one. Justice didn't come for those three faunus so Athrun here decided to just take matters into his own hands," Cinder said, removing her hand from my cheek, but the warmth still lingered.

"Nobody did anything about the fact that those three bastards beat two defenseless orphans to death while the third orphan could only hide. Kira and Sasha didn't deserve what happened to them. We may have been nobodies, unwanted, but somebody still should have done something! However, no one cared. I had to take matters into my own hands. I was helpless and powerless as I saw the only two people that stayed with me back then get beaten till the life left their eyes, but I found a way to get stronger, I trained. I've waited five years for the opportunity to give them what they deserved. I-" I started to defend myself, but Cinder held up a hand silencing my tirade before it could spiral out of control.

"I'm not saying what you did was wrong Athrun. Society might view it differently but you were just delivering justice to the people that wronged you. Besides, due to our help, nobody was even able to trace their deaths back to you." Cinder's smile grew a little bit. "I must say, I bet those three faunus that murdered your two friends didn't expect that there was a third orphan to come back for them. If you ask me they got what they deserved."

"I don't need your approval. I don't feel guilty about it." I said coldly. I don't like talking about that event.

"I wasn't giving you my approval, I was just trying to say that I understand what you were thinking and going through."

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Clearly you don't want to linger on this subject so I'll move on. After our first encounter I was left with an odd feeling about you, so I had Mercury give you more jobs to do for us." Cinder gestured at the grey garbed teen who gave me one of his signature grins. "Mercury told me you were very efficient in your tasks. Seeing that I wasn't the only one that had noticed something in you I had you interact with the others in my circle. Emerald said you were okay, and Neo definitely took a shine to you."

The short statured girl appeared by my side again, and gave me an encouraging smile. I'll admit, the small gesture from her was comforting.

"I'm guessing I'm about to know what you want from me?" I asked.

"You see Athrun…" Cinder trailed a finger down my chest. "After being informed of so many good things about you from Mercury and Neo, my own intuition, and the fact you were able to complete this last task I had you go on I would like to offer you a place with us."

Mercury's grin grew even larger after hearing Cinder's announcement, and Neo clapped her hands excitedly. Emerald looked a little annoyed but didn't say anything, while Roman was rubbing his temples.

"Listen I already told Mercury tha-"

"I know what you told Mercury, you might think you like your current lifestyle, but is that true? Are you even capable of living that way of life anymore?" Cinder interrupted.

For some reason a feeling of doubt began to swell up inside me. "What do you mean?"

Mercury walked forward and pulled up his scroll. It was a news feed explaining the situation at the docks during the dust heist. "You're being counted as one of the big dogs now. That fight that broke out at the docks is known across Vale and the Blue Hawk is believed to be in league with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang now. Sure, you're free during the day, but the Blue Hawk's time at night is now under heavy scrutiny," Mercury said before closing his scroll and standing back beside Emerald once more.

Cinder walked behind me placing both hands gently on my shoulders. "You also live alone without any sort of companionship, out of a sense of mourning due to the death of your friends. That's no way to live. If you follow me then you can have a group where you belong once more."

I try to speak but no words escape my lips, Cinder's words were laced with honey but they were also true. I hate living alone, and after having avenged Kira and Sasha I should have been able to move on but I couldn't. I didn't even ponder what may happen if I refuse Cinder, I can't refuse. I may need this.

I felt myself relax and Cinder promptly let go off my shoulders.

"You've come to a decision." Cinder stated, not asked.

"I have. I'll join you," I replied.

Mercury gave me a thumbs up from his position and Neo clung to my right arm, smiling. I couldn't help but return Mercury's gesture and give Neo a smile of my own.

Moving in front of me Cinder sent me a smile over her shoulder. "Perfect. I feel like you'll fit in just fine, we are all a bunch of misfits like yourself after all."

"Neo will cue you in on where you will be staying from now on. Gather your things from your home and follow her, she'll take you to where we are. I have a lot of things planned and you're help is very welcome, Athrun," Cinder said as she made her way to leave the warehouse.

"Cinder, tell me one thing."

The raven haired beauty stopped for a moment. "Yes?"

I paused for a second, slightly worried about what I was going to receive for my answer. "What is it that you're trying to accomplish?"

A seductive smile spread across Cinder's face.

"Athrun..." A ball of fire emerged in Cinder's right hand as she bought it up close to her face, and I swear that I saw her right eye glowing. "I'm going to change the world."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4 has arrived! Sorry I had midterms and went camping over spring break so I haven't had a lot of time to type. However, I feel like I should note that because of college I do not have an update schedule.**

 **Guest: Athrun will indeed become stronger throughout the course of the story, but what character doesn't? As previous chapters have stated he isn't on the same level as the rest of Cinder's gang, but he'll get there in his own way.**

* * *

"I must say, this isn't what I was expecting," I told my mute companion.

Neo looked at me inquisitively, her umbrella open behind her.

"Well, when I was told I was going to be moving in with you and the rest of your, no wait, our group, I just wasn't expecting something so simple," I continued, my eyes roaming across the outside of the simple, white-colored condo I was going to be moving into. To be fair, assuming that I was going to be staying in a grand luxurious suite or a mansion locate in one of the wealthier areas of Vale is quite stupid of me. I'm a successful thief and I never lived in some wealthy home. It's much easier to blend in within the middle class afterall.

"Disregard what I said earlier, simple is better."

I received a slightly confused glance from Neo, but the small girl shrugged and then grabbed my arm leading me towards the front door.

I extended my hand out towards the doorknob, but paused before clasping my hand around it. Neo noticed my hesitation, placing a small hand on my arm. Looking at her I can tell she was wondering what was on my mind, and why I'm cautious about opening the door.

"Neo. I need you to tell me something."

The mute girl was giving me her undivided attention. Her umbrella that was previously opened was now closed, and being held to her side instead of over her shoulder. Her eyes now shining a pearlescent white instead of their usual heterochromic pink and brown. It might be her genuine eye color, something I haven't seen yet. It kind of makes me feel bad, but I can't back down now.

"There's not going to be some sort of trap if I open this door right? I don't need something like an iron ball or a giant mallet swinging down into my face. I like my face and getting it disfigured is not a part of the working conditions when I decided to join you all," I told my companion with the most serious voice I could muster.

Neo blinked once, then twice, and finally a third time before she lowered her head. Her tri-colored hair covering her eyes for a brief moment, before they gazed back up at me and the white in her eyes was gone, replaced by the familiar pink and brown. A ghastly aura surrounded her, and that was the moment I realized I might have fucked up. I don't think anyone but Neo could be so small yet so terrifying at the same time.

I felt an iron grip around my right wrist, 'yeah Athrun, you totally fucked up.'

Before I could even blink I felt my body leave the ground and the world looked as if it was spinning. My back made contact with something that offered a brief second of resistance until giving way causing me to travel a couple more feet in the air before my back hit solid ground.

"Ugh, not sure it was worth it." I groaned out. Opening my eyes I saw a very familiar mop of silver-grey hair.

"Well that's one way to make an entrance Athrun, how did this happen?" Mercury asked me, his hands on his hips and that trademark smirk of his on his face.

"Ugh!"

My duffel bag which held my belongings, and clothes was roughly tossed onto my chest as my favorite, slightly pissed off mute companion walked by me and Mercury.

Mercury, raised his brow up at Neo but she sauntered past the both of us, not giving either of us a second chance.

My smug friend turned his attention back at me.

"You pissed off the mute psycho, didn't you?"

I moved my duffle bag off my chest and propped myself up into a sitting position. "Yeah, I might have played a joke that made her a little upset, but she'll forgive me after I get her some ice cream and say I'm sorry."

"You better hope so, having Neo pissed off is never a good thing. You see," Mercury offered me a hand, which I took. My friend hoisted me up and hung an arm around my shoulder. "Neo is the best fighter out of all of us besides Cinder herself. The pipsqueak is even better than me and you know how I feel about my skills," Mercury finished, letting his arm drop off of me.

Now _that_ was good to know. I knew Neo was already stronger than me. The multiple times I've been tossed around in the past can attest to that. I didn't know that cute, sadistic little Neo was also the strongest fighter outside of Cinder herself.

"I'll make sure to patch things up rather quickly then," I said.

"Make sure you do that." Mercury picked up my duffelbag and gestured for me to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

With a shrug of my shoulders I followed Mercury through the condo to my new room. Glancing around, the inside of the condo was just as simple as the outside. The walls were colored brown, and the living room had two couches, one red, and the other white. There was also a small flat screen TV located across from the two couches. Farther back I saw the kitchen was connected to the living room which kind of reminded me of my old apartment.

"Your room will be down this hallway here."

My observations of the condo was cut short as my attention was brought back to my silver-haired friend. Mercury was gesturing with his thumb to a lone room that was to the right of the kitchen.

"Thanks." I said, grabbing my duffel bag from Mercury and walked towards where my room was located, opening the door.

"Hey Athrun, one last thing," I heard Mercury call out from behind me.

"Yeah Merc, what is it?" I asked.

"Nothing much, just remembered that Cinder wanted you to talk to her after you settled in. She was in her room when you got here but I'm sure the noise you made when you got tossed in here probably informed her of your arrival. She'll probably be in the living room once you're done putting away your shit," Mercury informed me

I flipped the silver haired man off. "No need to rub in the fact that I was tossed by somebody that's significantly shorter than all of us, Merc. I bet she could do the same to you too," I retorted.

Mercury chuckled a little. "Possibly, but she'll at least have to take me seriously though in a fight. Anyways, I'll see you around Athrun." Mercury waved as he turned around the corner, leaving me to my own devices.

Turning to face what is now my room, I saw that it just consisted of a queen sized mattress that was pushed up against the back wall, a dresser with a mirror on top, a closet, and most importantly a window.

Windows are good, windows mean I have another way outside in my own room in case if I need it for whatever reason.

I quickly unpacked my belongings which didn't consist of too much. Just some everyday clothes, my black and navy blue combat outfit, NightWing, and some extra spools of wire which I placed in the dresser and closet respectively.

"That should be it." I said, giving one last look around my room, before heading back towards the living room to talk to Cinder. Just like Mercury said she would be, my new associate, partner, boss? Was sitting on the red couch in the living room. Legs crossed and her hands by her side. It took a good amount of willpower to not let my gaze linger on her legs. That dress she wears doesn't make things any easier. Luckily a soft hit to the back of my head gave me something to redirect my attention to for a moment.

Neo was staring at me, her left hand on her hip, and head tilted to the side expectantly.

"Hey Neo, um, sorry about earlier. I'll get you some ice cream later, but I kind of need to talk to Cinder about something," I told the mute.

Neo rolled her eyes at me before dragging me over to the white couch and pushing me down onto it. She then proceeded to sit next to me. A little confused at Neo's antics, I decided it would be best to leave it be for now and turn my attention back to who wanted to speak with me. My eyes meeting Cinder's amber orbs. A glint of amusement present in them, and a small smile on her face.

"Welcome to your new home Athrun, I was expecting you a little sooner but that's of no consequence. How are you feeling?" Cinder asked me.

I brought my left arm behind my head, and scratched the back of my neck sheepishly. "To be fair I expected to arrive a little sooner as well but somebody," I shot a glance at Neo who avoided my gaze and was tapping her chin innocently, "couldn't help but look around my old apartment for a little bit, and then she was just fascinated by the fact that I had different clothes besides my Blue Hawk visage." I gestured at myself, and received a smack to the shoulder from Neo.

Cinder gave me a once over, taking in my navy blue t-shirt, slim white jeans, and white hoodie with blue accents on it.

"White and blue, instead of the black and blue, how creative," Cinder remarked, a small joking undertone present in her voice that was actually relieving to hear. I don't know much about Cinder still, but if she can joke and be sarcastic from time to time that's a plus in my book.

"I'm sorry that I can't be as fashionable as you and Neo. I think a more simple look like this fits me."

"I'm not saying it doesn't, I agree it suits you, but I am curious. What is that symbol on the shoulder of your hoodie?" Cinder asked, pointing at the right shoulder of my hoodie which had three intersecting wings in blue.

"Oh this? Nothing much, just a memento for dreams that have come and gone. Sasha, Kira, and I always talked about how we wished we could grow wings and escape the slums. As you know they'll never have that chance, but I made this my symbol in their memory," I explained.

Neo looked at me with a tint of sympathy, while Cinder seemed to have just accepted my explanation.

"Meaningful, yet sorrowful. Definitely not a bad symbol. It reminds you of what you fight for. I like it," Cinder commented.

"Thanks, it could definitely be worse. I can be dressed like Mercury. If it wasn't for his personality I'd have assumed he's your classic emo-boy from an anime. Hell, he even has the daddy issues part down," I replied, a small smirk emerging from my face.

"FUCK YOU ATHRUN! I'm kicking your ass for that one later!"

I tried my hardest to conceal the bouts of laughter that wanted to emerge from my mouth. Not wanting to outright explode in front of Cinder, don't know how she would appreciate that just yet. Neo didn't bother with controlling herself as she held her sides, silent laughter shaking her small frame. Now I must say, seeing a mute outright laugh is hilarious, Neo's body is shaking and I can hear her breathing get heavier but no other noise is escaping.

Cinder also seems to have found some amusement out of my crack at Mercury or Neo's silent laughter, maybe both. The raven haired leader sported a slightly larger smile and doesn't seem to be upset so everything seems good.

"Part of me wishes Emerald was here to hear that. I'll be sure to have someone tell her later, but let's move on," Cinder said.

"Very well, what is it that you wished to talk about?" I asked the raven haired beauty sitting across from me.

"Well I wanted to start off with your thoughts on living with us but from what happened earlier I'm sure you're doing just fine."

I smiled and turned towards Neo who gave me her sadistic smirk, and we fist bumped. I don't think either of us were going to forget my crack at Mercury.

"Yes," Cinder continued, drawing my attention back towards her once more. "I don't think I have to worry about that part, so I'll just get to my second point. Now that you're a part of our group, Athrun, I feel you deserve to know a little about what's going on. However it should be left unsaid that if you let any word of what I'm about to say slip..." Cinder lifted her right hand and a ball of fire emerged in it like back in the warehouse where Roman and I hid the dust from our robbery.

"Message is received, I'll be the one that's in cinders," I remarked. I heard a soft smack to my side, and evidently Neo decided my pun was very bad and facepalming seemed to be the only cure.

Cinder extinguished the flame she summoned. "Your poor joke aside, yes. You would be turned into cinders. I must say you are awfully more calm today than when we talked last night. What changed?"

That very thought crossed my own mind, yesterday I was trying my best to keep my nerves under control when I was talking to Cinder, and today I'm making jokes and bad puns in her presence.

"I don't really know. It could be the environment of being in a home instead of a shady warehouse, or that I feel like I can actually be a part of your group, doesn't really matter too much though if you ask me," I replied

Cinder looked as if she was mulling over my answer, her legs shifted so that they weren't crossed anymore, and her right was tracing circles along her dress.

"I guess it doesn't matter too much in the end. I just find it impressive how quickly your demeanor towards me changed."

"Trust me, I'm surprised as well. It's not out of lack of respect or fear either."

"Oh? Do explain," Cinder said, hands supporting her chin.

I looked at Neo then back at Cinder. Trying to gather my thoughts.

"Well the best way I can explain it, is that I respect you and the fact that you're giving me an opportunity like this. Yet I fear your ability to end me at a moment's notice. I know you're perfectly capable of doing so. It's almost like how I view Neo."

The mute girl gave me an inquisitive glance.

"I fear her sadistic tendencies and the fact that whenever I see a certain face it usually means pain, I just hope that I won't be the one feeling it. But I also respect her and appreciate the fact that she finds me worthy of her friendship," I finished.

Cinder seems to have accepted my answer well enough. Her face not showing an ounce of negativity, but it could also be she just has a very solid poker-face, which I wouldn't put past her. Neo on the other hand was giving me a full-hearted smile, her eye color again changing to white, which supports my theory of that being her genuine eye color.

"A very acceptable answer Athrun. Does that mean you view me as a friend as well?" Cinder asked me smirking.

I stared at the raven haired woman dead in the face.

"No."

Cinder's smirk got a little larger at my response. "Now why is that?"

"To be frank, I don't know you well enough to consider you as a friend. Acquaintance, definitely, but not a friend. You may have offered me a new home, but at the sametime you benefit from me working for you in some way. So it's not like you did it from the good in your heart, we're all criminals here afterall," I told her.

Cinder slowly moved her arms and softly clapped them together once, then twice, then a couple times more.

"I like the honesty, a lot of people would be afraid to be so forward with me," Cinder began.

"I bet they have good reason to," I remarked.

"Oh, they most certainly do, but at the same time it makes me respect them less. A little bit of backbone is good in the business, Athrun, or else you're just going to be blindly following what your leaders say, even if they send you to your death. You earned a couple points just now. Now then, back to what I originally wanted to talk to you about. My plans."

I leaned back into the couch, crossing my arms. I was very curious as to what I'm going to hear.

"As I said last night, I plan on changing the world, and to do that I need to get a message out."

"What kind of message?" I immediately asked. Message is too vague a term. There are many ways of getting a message 'out' so to speak.

"A message to the people of Remnant that the faith they have in those that hold power don't deserve it. You've been affected by the lack of proper action from those with power as well. Why do you think that you had to avenge your past friends yourself?"

She had a fair enough point there. Didn't get to learn exactly how she planned to get this message out, but so far it's not exactly something I disagree with.

"So how are you going to be doing this?"

"Well, Athrun," Cinder stood up from the red couch and approached where I was sitting. A lone slender hand dropped down and softly lifted my head up so Cinder's face was looking down at me. Out of the corner of my eye I think I saw Neo pout a bit. "The best way to do that would be to pose as students."

Realization hit me at that moment. "The Vytal Festival," I murmured.

Cinder's hand left my face. "Exactly, I've already decided we would be posing as transfer students from Haven. The documentation has already been forged, and in doing so we would have access to Beacon Academy under the pretense of preparing for the festival."

I wasn't going to ask how she managed to forge the documentation. Cinder was able to get a group like the White Fang to work with Roman afterall but that left me with some other questions.

"I can see the benefits to this plan, but why steal all the dust if that's the case?"

"Well part of the reason is economical, but you'll know when you need to know. Anything else?" Cinder asked me.

"Yeah, a couple more questions, sorry." I stood up so that I was now level with Cinder. "How do you expect me to blend into Beacon? The Blue Hawk's identity may still be a secret, but his weapons aren't. Wouldn't it be better to use Neo for this job?" I pointed out.

Cinder tilted her head knowingly. Letting me instantly know she already found a solution to that dilemma.

"I put plenty of thought into this, Athrun. I originally thought of using Neo, but she can get kind of," Cinder glanced at the small girl, "stab-happy to put it nicely. We also already solved the weapon issue for you. Neo, get the briefcase." Cinder ordered. The mute girl had a smirk on her face as she left the living room to retrieve this 'briefcase'.

After a couple brief moments Neo reappeared carrying a moderately sized silver briefcase, and handed it to Cinder. Cinder gave Neo a nod to which the mute girl smiled and made her way over to my right giving me a nudge with her elbow and gesturing towards the case in Cinder's hands.

'Yes Neo, I understand the briefcase is important.' I thought, rolling my eyes at her.

"Athrun say hello to our welcoming present." Cinder opened the briefcase and inside were two chakrams. The weapons had two intersecting holds for me to hold onto in the center of the weapon and the outer ring was made of four curved blades with a spike at the beginning of each blade. The outside portion of the chakrams were a deep blue color that covered the blades and spiked protrusions, while the inside was a simple et elegant silver. They were of excellent make.

My mouth was agape as I stared at the weapons. I heard a soft click from beside me which I am positive was Neo taking a picture but I was too amazed to care at the moment. Looking up back at Cinder I'm pretty sure the question was plastered all over my face.

"Do you like the present Athrun?" A familiar voice called from behind.

Turning around I saw Mercury leaning against the living room wall.

"I designed it and everything. Reckoned that you would need a different weapon if you were going to be infiltrating Beacon with us, however…" Mercury frowned at Cinder, "I said I wanted to be here for the reveal. I missed the stupid face he probably made."

Neo took that as her cue, and jumped over the couch, pulling out her scroll and showing Mercury the picture she took of me just moments ago.

"Hahaha that's freaking great! How did your mouth drop that much, man? I'm actually kind of impressed!" Mercury laughed out loud.

I finally gathered my wits, and shook my head a couple times. I got up off the couch and approached Mercury.

"Mercury. I am terribly sorry for the emo comment I made earlier. You are a wonderful individual and the most amazing friend ever and-" I felt a couple pokes to my side and saw that Neo was giving me _that_ look. I coughed into my hands a couple times, "...Sorry, second best friend I've ever had," I finished.

Neo gave me a satisfied glance, and moved back to the couch while Mercury rolled his eyes and moved to sit next to Cinder but not before he mouthed what looked like 'whipped' at me. Just to make things clear, I'm not whipped. I just prefer not being in pain.

Taking my seat once more I looked at Cinder, and then at Mercury. "I can't believe you guys actually made this for me."

Mercury just waved his hand at me. "Not a problem, Athrun, glad you like it."

"Hell, I love it, Merc. The craftsmanship behind this thing is amazing," I replied, picking up one of the Chakrams and marveling over the design. "But there's one small problem."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Cinder asked me, a small glint in her eyes.

"I simply don't know how to use these beauties. How am I expected to learn how to wield these things effectively before we get into Beacon?" I asked the two across from me.

"Mercury would you like to explain?" Cinder questioned.

"I would love to. You see I built these babies with you in mind. I have a good grasp on your fighting style and although there's obviously going to be differences, there will be some similar elements," Mercury began, picking up the other chakram. "For starters these chakrams have a built in magnetic component, so you can toss them around and they'll come right back into your waiting hands, just like how NightWing does when you throw them with your wires attached. All you have to do is sync the weapons to your aura. Also," Mercury traced his fingers along the outside of the chakram, "you can fill the blades with dust as well to give them different effects, so you have some versatility based on what you need, and their cutting power is nothing to laugh at. If you toss these things with enough force they'll cut cleanly through most anything not reinforced by aura," Mercury finished.

After taking in Mercury's explanation of the weapons I was even more impressed. He really did build these suckers with me in mind. It'll still take awhile but with enough training I might actually be able to use this gift effectively enough.

I took the other chakram from Mercury and felt the weight of each of them in my hands. I've never used chakrams before but they weren't much heavier than NightWing's blades, and I could probably compensate for the weight difference sooner rather than later. Remembering what Mercury said earlier I focus some of my aura into the chakrams and the outer ring of the weapon glowed a soft blue before dying down.

"Looks as if someone's eager to break in their new toy," Mercury remarked, a wry grin on his face.

I pointed one of the chakrams at him. "Who knows, I might break them in against your smug face."

The silver garbed teen cracked his neck and clenched his fingers. "Pfft, as if you could."

Before Mercury and I could start sparring in the living room, Cinder took it upon herself to stop us. "Boys, boys, let's not cause any more damage inside today. Besides there's one last thing I need to ask Athrun."

What else could there be? I got welcomed into my new home for now, got flipped by Neo, received a badass new weapon. I really can't think of anything else that could be said right now.

The yellow accents on Cinder's clothes started glowing. "Athrun, how well versed are you in the control of dust?"

"Besides using various dust rounds in NightWing, I truthfully have minimal experience with the stuff," I answered honestly.

"Shame, this process might take longer than planned then," Cinder said softly.

I raised my hands in the air, waving them in front of me. "Hold up, what process? I kind of like knowing things that could possibly involve my well-being."

Cinder started curling her fingers, small sparks of flames igniting and dispersing at her will. "Oh it wasn't going to be anything lethal, Athrun. I was just wondering if it would be possible to teach you how to manipulate dust woven into your clothing to help give you an edge in combat. To put it bluntly you're probably the weakest one here when it comes to raw fighting ability, except for maybe Emerald. You two fight in a very similar manner, using tricks and other elements to try and swerve the fight in your favor when fighting a superior opponent. In other words, you try to avoid fights where you don't have some sort of advantage. I thought learning how to use dust could add something to your repertoire."

"Fair enough point. I already knew I'd probably be the weakest member. Learning how to manipulate dust would be pretty sick, but I don't know if I could learn that on top of becoming familiar with my new weapon," I told Cinder.

"Indeed. Well, if nothing else I could possibly show you the basics. You have a lot of work to do now that you're in with us, Athrun. I hope you're ready for what that entails," Cinder declared ominously.

"Please don't make it sound that terrifying, you just mean training right? I can do that," I retorted.

Cinder chuckled lightly. "Oh, I hope so Athrun, because your training partner has already been decided and they are very excited to get started. I wish you the best of luck."

With that final note Cinder left the living room, heading towards her own room most likely. Who could my training partner possibly be? Most likely Mercury but…

I felt a couple soft taps to my right, and saw Neo grinning at me, now why would... wait. I stared at Neo for a little bit.

"No."

The grin on Neo's face grew ever so larger.

"No. Don't let it be true."

Neo's grin got even larger and it held so much enjoyment for her behind it. Pain and misery for me.

"I'm going to fucking die."

It was a fact, not a guess, hypothesis, nor observation. Stone hard fact. Neo was going to be my training partner, and I was in for a world of hurt.

I felt a comforting hand on my left shoulder and Mercury gave me a look of sympathy. He looked genuinely sorry, which is rare for the usually smug personality he portrays.

"I wish you the best of luck friend." He said to me.

"Don't say it like you're not going to see me ever again asshole!" I yelled at him, feeling a tug on my arm as Neo began dragging me off to dust-knows-where.

I needed some sort of escape, a way out. My eyes frantically searching for a way to escape my impending demise. There! At the front of the condo I saw my one last hope, a mop of mint green hair entering the building.

"Emerald! Help me!" I screamed out, grasping at straws at this point.

The red eyed thief spared me a moment's glance and proceeded to head towards the kitchen with what looked like to be take-out in her hands, ignoring my plight.

With my last ray of hope gone I looked back at the small demon dragging me off. Again I was struck by the thought that only Neo could make a smile look so vicious.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Things should start picking up a little bit now that I have the setting more defined. Also with Athrun's new chakrams I always thought Mercury probably had some sort of skill with weapons or mechanics because you know, robo-legs. The design is based off of the Prominence chakrams from KH 358/2 Days. Look it up if you want to see what they look like. Please let me know your thoughts in the review section or in a PM!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone for the feedback I have received thus far, it makes writing all the more enjoyable knowing that others are enjoying my work.**

 **Edit: Changed Shade Academy to Haven Academy**

* * *

At first glance it would seem I was alone in the grey training room. The room itself was very open except for the odd pillar connecting the floor to the ceiling. My eyes were constantly moving trying to locate my foe. _There!_ Almost unnoticeable but I saw it, the smallest bit of movement out of my right eye, wasting no time I threw the chakram in my right hand in an attempt to intercept my opponent. My weapon was dodged by a brief shift of my opponent's hip, causing my throw to miss by just a hair. It was frustrating to say the least that I spent all this time just trying to locate her and she so casually dodged my attack, but…

I concentrate a little on the aura build up in my right hand and the chakram I threw changed course heading towards Neo's back. I start running at the small girl. I have no doubt that she'll be able to avoid the chakram coming at her back but with me also approaching her from the front it should at least make it a little more difficult for her to pay attention to me.

Just like I expected Neo ducked under the incoming weapon, which I caught in my right hand, twisting around I bring my other chakram in my left hand on top of her head. An open Umbrella stops the blow, and then closes to leave room for the kick Neo sends my way, I block the kick but Neo is a very nimble opponent. She was already moving once more pressing on with her onslaught, she sent a jab at me with her closed umbrella which I barely avoided only to catch a swift kick to my right cheek. I don't let it get to me. I've had plenty of sessions like this and I fully expect to get hit a lot before I even come come close to delivering a solid blow of my own. Neo jumps in the air sending a turning roundhouse at me after feeling her blow connect.

'Not this time,' I thought.

I threw my right chakram straight up in the air and catch the kick. It gave me immense pleasure to see the briefest look of surprise on Neo's usually smug face during these sparring matches. But it was replaced with grin as she swing at me with her umbrella forcing me to let go of her before I had the chance to capitalize on the small opening I forced. Again the chakram I threw returned to my hand. I was finally starting to get the hang of these things. I attack again, Neo dodged my hook kick but I threw a chakram behind my back at her retreating form. The weapon was deflected with a flick of her umbrella but that was of no issue to me. They would always return to my waiting hands afterall.

Neo took a couple steps back to reassess my threat level. I usually never get a hand on her this early so she's taking her time. Part of me knows that Neo does well when someone else takes the initiative in a fight. Her fighting style focuses on redirecting the force of her opponent's blows and punishing them for trying to touch a hair on her head. I knew all of this but I also didn't want to give her the initiative either, with that in mind...

I sent both of my weapons at the mute. Of course she dodged them, but that was fine. The chakrams would return to me and I would instantly toss them again. My strategy was to keep Neo at medium range and try to wear her out over time with a barrage of attacks. She's a strictly close range combatant so theoretically I should hold the advantage, but against a more skilled opponent having a small advantage like this will only work for so long.

Neo kept on dodging my attacks but unlike before where the tiniest little shifts of her body would dodge an attack she had to put a little more effort into her evasive maneuvers. The reason being the attractive properties on my chakrams can also work with each other giving me options for some wierd angles of attack. One chakram would fly at her directly while another would come in at an arc from behind her or in a multitude of fashions. It was a true testament of her skills to be able to dodge or parry the onslaught I was sending at her.

Of course all good things must come to an end. Neo opened up her umbrella and tilted it slightly to her left. The incoming chakram was deflected to the side and found itself stuck in the ground.

"Shit," I muttered.

Neo cartwheeled over the remaining bladed disk and pried the chakram she just deflected out of the ground and chucked it at me.

My body twisted off of instinct, the weapon flying past me and I called it back towards my hand, knowing that a miniature ice cream demon was soon to be upon me. I saw Neo's approaching form and she was coming in fast, I spared a glance at my weapon to see if it would reach me in time and I'm not sure it would.

I lifted a knee up to absorb the shaft of the umbrella that was swung towards my ribs. It hurt but nearly as much as it could have. I bring my other weapon towards Neo's small form, but I'm blasted off my feet when the umbrella opens, sending me tumbling across the ground. Planting my hands I push myself off in a back handspring righting myself.

"How the fuck can an umbrella be such an effective weapon..." I groan.

A sweet smile graced my eyes in response. That oh so smug little vixen. She has every right to be smug, but it's annoying and she knows it.

"You know, I'm going to enjoy the day I wipe that smirk from your face," I declared.

My words were disregarded as Neo pretended to take interest in her nails. Do you know what? Fine, let's change things up a little bit.

I gaze at Neo until she finally decides to return my look, her umbrella closed and planted at her feet. The look in those pink and brown eyes daring me to try something. Well, I will happily oblige.

I start sprinting at Neo and then in a small blue flash I am suddenly behind her both of my arms already moving to slash her across the back. Only Neo's instincts and high maneuverability saved her from my attack. In that moment I earned my victory for the day. Neo's ever present smile was replaced for just a brief moment by surprise. I can now get my ass kicked in peace, but she's still going to have to at least work for it though. I throw a chakram at Neo's retreating form. She goes from a backflip into a straight up vault over my weapon, but that's fine. She's in midair, and the beauty about getting your opponent to be in midair is that it becomes significantly harder to dodge.

This is going to be my moment, my time to shine. I jump and perform a flying side kick, Neo raises and opens her umbrella in defence. It'll save her from the attack itself but the force behind should still knock her down once she hits the ground, giving me time to continue my attack. Today could be the day I finally land a solid hit on Neopolitan. My foot makes contact with Neo's umbrella and instead of feeling solid resistance the Neo in front of me shatters, and the sound of broken glass echoed throughout the room. I landed on my feet, instantly knowing what was bound to happen next, but having knowledge of an event does not mean anything if I'm incapable of preventing it.

Turning my head I'm met with an umbrella. The hit knocked me to the side and I feel a foot press on my chest, before Neo uses it as a foot hold to swing her other leg around my neck and flips me onto my back. The mute had her legs wrapped firmly around my neck, sitting comfortably on top of me.

A loud buzzer rings in the background.

"Well Athrun that was definitely better than all of your other matches with our resident midget," Mercury announced coming into the training room clapping his hands together. I'm pretty sure the clap was genuine because he had that weird look on his face that he usually gets when he actually decided to use that brain of his.

The silver-haired teen was on the receiving end of a harsh glare from Neo, but he payed it no mind.

"I must ask though, how come you've never used your semblance before in any of your previous sparring matches? It certainly gave you an edge for a brief moment," Mercury questioned.

I squeezed my face up a little bit so Neo's thighs weren't in the way of my mouth. "Well, I wanted to learn how to use the chakrams comfortably first before attempting anything fancy like using it in tandem with my semblance. Also I just don't use my semblance a lot in combat. It's useful, but very aura consuming. Whenever I would steal I preferred to use it as an escape once I was out of sight from the authorities. Make it seem like the Blue Hawk has this magic ability to vanish without a trace. Pretty good for the reputations," I explained.

Mercury nodded a couple times taking my explanation at face value. I wasn't lying or anything so no need to further question my use of my semblance. I would probably have to get used to using it in combat more once we get to Beacon though. However I'd like to reserve that for emergency purposes only. If I use my semblance while I'm posing as a student then that would restrict me from using it while I work as the Blue Hawk. Now onto more pressing matters, I look up at Neo who is still on top of me.

My small friend was gazing down at me. The look in her eyes asking me 'what?'

"Umm Neo, would you mind getting off of me?" I shift my eyes from side to side, looking at her thighs. "Your thighs are kind of pressed up against my face," I finished.

Neo brought a hand up to her mouth in mock shock, and then squeezed her legs together a little tighter for an instant.

"Do you know what, forget it. Stay on top of me like that for all I care. It's not like it's uncomfortable. Your thighs are soft," I said, accepting my fate.

I felt the sensation of Neo's thighs and weight get off my body and when I looked again I saw that Neo was standing to my side with a very soft blush on her face, but trying to pretend it wasn't there.

'Huh, I guess even she can feel embarrassed,' I thought.

I begun to stand up, but Mercury hoisted me onto my feet and wrapped an arm around my shoulder turning me away from Neo.

"Athrun I never thought you could be so forward, impressive my man. Towards Neo, too, nice work," Mercury complimented.

Flirting was not what I was going for when I said that, but whatever. I'll let Mercury believe what he wants. I brush his arm off and give him an awkward smile as he continues on about how he's going to make me a ladies man.

A brief tap on his shoulder turned Mercury's attention away from his declarations and towards one slightly peeved tri-colored girl. This girl then proceeded to jab her umbrella right in his face before grabbing my arm and dragging me away from Mercury.

Once we exited the training room I turned towards my companion. "So you don't want me to learn how to be a total chick magnet?" I asked her.

Neo rolled her eyes at me and slapped my arm which brought forth a small chuckle from my lips. I continued to follow her to wherever our destination is, probably the living room.

It would seem my guessing skills are on point, because once we entered the living room Neo brought me over to an awaiting Cinder on the red couch of course. For the week I've been here getting my ass constantly handed to me by Neo I've dubbed the red couch as 'Cinder's couch'.

Cinder gazed back and forth between me and Neo, her gaze unwavering and betraying nothing. Truthfully it is still a little unnerving being subject to that stare of hers. I have no idea what's running through her mind when she does so. And although I've gotten more comfortable talking with her over the past week I still can't help but be cautious as if I'm being constantly tested under her gaze. I asked Mercury about it and he said that's how it will be for short amount of time, just to try and act as normal as possible. She would see through any act, he informed me.

Cinder finally broke the silence. "Hello Athrun, is there something you wish to speak to me about?"

My feet shifted a little on the ground. "Not really, Neo brought me to you for some reason," I managed to say.

Cinder's orange eye's seemed to have flashed for a moment, and I seriously mean that they got brighter and glowed. A calculating smile appeared on her face, and the raven haired beauty crossed her arms.

"Is that so? Wonderful, just in time too."

Now I was confused. "Just in time for what?" I questioned, now it was my turn to look curious.

Cinder got up from her couch and sauntered towards me. "In time for the Vytal Festival of course. Our team is going to be competing after all, if Neo brought you here then that means she's confident in your combat ability. I truthfully expected it to take longer than just a week for you to get used to your new weapons but I'm not going to complain."

"Well, I had to learn fast. Getting the shit beat out of you constantly is pretty good motivation to get better," I grumbled out, the numerous beatings I've received over the past week replaying through my mind.

A soft nudge to my side caused me to look down at Neo's smiling face. I'm sure she knew I was remembering my recent defeats, that gleam in her eyes say everything!

"Don't take your losses by Neo too roughly, besides me no one else can beat her one on one. Mercury has only prevailed over Neo about two times I think. So be proud that she thinks you're good enough," Cinder cooed, a soft hand touching the cheek that Neo's umbrella hit.

"Duly noted, could you please remove your hand though? It's a little tender there," I requested.

"Let me take care of that for you then," Cinder quickly replied. That glow appeared once more in her right eye as warmth enveloped my cheek, surprisingly I found the pain going away.

"I don't have to burn everything just because my name is Cinder. Heat and fire can be used in many ways," Cinder spoke before I could even ask.

With a small nod, Cinder dropped her hands. "Now that you're all taken care of how about you go take a shower, I hope you haven't become too attached to this place because now it's time for us to move. I heard Beacon has some nice dorms, even for transfer students."

The raven haired leader of our group walked off leaving me wondering if she always sways her hips so much whenever she walks. Feeling a small tug on my sleeve I looked at Neo noticing a slight pout on her lips as her cheeks puffed out a little. It was a truly adorable image.

"What? I swear she does it on purpose!" I said in my defense, but Neo wasn't having any of it. She turned her head and walked off.

"Truly despicable."

I turned my head towards the voice and saw Emerald leaning against a wall.

"What did I even do?" I complained. Seriously, I didn't do anything wrong.

Emerald got off the wall and approached me glancing at me as if she was observing something.

"Blatant staring? Could you at least try to be a little more subtle? I don't need another Mercury on my hands," Emerald hissed.

Now that was insulting.

"Sorry, if a guy stares then he's immediately a pig. But if a girl saunters around on purpose it's completely fine because it's again the guys fault for noticing. I feel like there's something wrong with that logic?" I lift a lone finger as another point crossed my mind. "Also could you please not involve me in this love-hate thing you have going on with Mercury? Just have your hate sex already and figure shit out, damn," I finished.

Emerald showed a variety of emotions, she went from being unamused, to impressed, to shocked, then angry, then shocked again, only to return to being pissed. How ever I did notice that her cheeks flushed a little bit, a clue that maybe she does kind of sort of like Mercury? I don't know, but I'll remember and make sure to tell him.

Seeing as I said everything I felt like saying, and I was in dire need of a shower I decided it was my time to retire to my room before Emerald could gather her wits and decide whether or not she wanted to try and strangle me.

Once I was away from the mint green haired girl and in the safety of my own room something finally hit me. Sniffing my own body I realized…

"Dust I smell like shit."

It makes sense having just finished training with Neo, but I was in major need of a shower. Stripping down and tossing my clothes onto my bed I grabbed a towel off of the hook hanging from the door to my bathroom and prepared for some well deserved relaxation.

I was in the shower for about ten to fifteen minutes, a little long for me but I felt like I needed it. Now here's the thing, I exit the bathroom and see that my clothes are folded nicely and not in random positions on my bed. I was actually fine with that, someone was considerate enough to fold my clothes and save me the work of doing it myself. The problem was that only two people ever come in my room and Mercury wasn't the kind of person to fold someone else's clothes.

"Neo could you not be staring at me like I'm something for you to eat. Actually I would prefer if you turned away so I could unwrap the towel around my waist and put on some actual clothes," I told the other occupant in my room.

Neo was sitting on my bed, holding a hand up to her chin eyeing me like I was prey, or an ice cream cone. The small girl licked her lips rather seductively… I must admit it looked pretty hot, and Neo knew it sending me a wink once she noticed me staring at her lips, before returning her attention at my half nude state.

Fine, I can play her game. I approach my friend and grasp her hand before placing it on my chest.

"Do you like?" I asked her.

A slight sparkle appeared in Neo's eyes as she pressed a little more firmly on my chest and holding up a seven with her fingers.

"Just a seven? I don't think so, you were staring for a while and you seemed to have liked what you were seeing," I argued.

With a roll of her eyes Neo lifted up another finger.

"I'll take an eight from you. Knowing how you are, you probably judge really hard, so I must be at least a thirteen for any normal girl," I replied. Neo laughed silently at my joke.

My face then deadpanned. "But seriously Neo, could you at least turn away so I could change?"

A sigh escaped the girl's lips before she tossed a set of clothes at me which hit me in the chest before I caught them. Looking at the clothes I noticed that it was a uniform, a uniform specific for Haven Academy.

"Huh, so we're leaving already?"

My companion nodded before turning herself around, giving me the privacy I asked for multiple times. Not knowing if she would wait for me to actually finish changing or not I quickly changed into the uniform. It was pleasant to see that it fit me pretty well even though I wasn't a big fan of the color scheme, and I just decided to completely forgo the gloves. They looked really tacky.

Neo turned back around and observed me in my new attire, she looked at me quite intensely before holding up a six this time.

"Can't blame you, these clothes aren't really me," I told her. This caused Neo to smile at me suggestively.

"No, that does not mean I'm stripping. The others are probably expecting me," I said, moving towards my door and heading out back towards the condo's living room. Hearing some footsteps from behind notified me that Neo was indeed following.

Once I was back in the confines of the living room I saw that everyone else was gathered, all of them were also donning the Shade Academy uniform . Cinder was back on her red couch, while Emerald and Mercury occupied the other one. I opted to stand.

"Took you long enough Athrun." Mercury turned towards Neo "What took you two so long?" he asked.

Neo just shrugged her shoulders and sent me a suggestive look which only caused me to internally sigh, knowing Mercury saw it and he was going to tease me about what may or may not have happened at some point in the future. Emerald was glaring at me and I could swear she was trying to burn a hole through me with her glare. Actually I found new respect for Mercury because this girl could glare and she knows it. The fact that Mercury purposefully pisses her off and is on the receiving end of her ire all the time is impressive. Or maybe he's just a masochist, who knows?

"It's already annoying having to wait for Mercury's lazy ass, I don't need someone else bringing us down also," Emerald voiced.

'Okay, what's her problem? We've never been buddy-buddy but I don't think I've done anything to piss her off besides the hate-sex comment, and this aggression seems to go beyond that.''

Me eyes zeroed in on Emerald's sitting form, the annoyance on my face is very visible for everyone in the room.

"I don't know what you're damn problem with me is, but could you stop acting like a stuck up bitch? It's really annoying especially since I don't remember doing anything specific to get your panties in a knot. The worst thing I've said to you is to hurry up and hate-fuck Mercury already, and that's because you provoked me first. Like come on, we're supposed to be working together for dusts sake!" I spat at the thief. A snarl on my face.

Silence permeated in the room for a moment before Mercury started clapping, and then burst out laughing.

"Oh shit, haha! Em, Athrun told you straight right there!" The silver-haired teen wrapped his arms around the subject of my ire. "I'm looking forward to this sex though. When is that happening if you don't mind me asking?" Mercury asked with a wink.

Neo was sending her own small glare at Emerald due to her aggression towards me but a grin formed on her face at Mercury's comment.

Emerald turned red before turning to the closest thing she could vent her anger and embarrassment on. Mercury.

"Ow!" Mercury exclaimed rubbing his arm.

The dark-skinned girl looked like she was about to retort to my earlier comment, but Cinder took it upon herself to cut in and diffuse the situation.

"Children, I am all for you bonding, but keep it civil," Cinder said in a hard tone. Her amber eyes traveling between, me, Emerald, and Mercury.

Emerald instantly mellowed down. "Yes ma'am."

Yes ma'am? Talk about whipped. I just crossed my arms and nodded at Cinder, Mercury opted to just shrug his shoulders.

"Good." Cinder looked at me. "I'm sorry Athrun, Emerald just has a rough time accepting new people into our group. She was like this when I indoctrinated Mercury too. It shouldn't be too much of an issue after today. Now, I think it's about time we get to Beacon, the bullheads are running for only so long after all. Your scrolls have already been updated with student identification, so no need to worry about that." Cinder turned towards Neo. "While we're at Beacon continue to work on phase two with Roman. I'll send Athrun to help with a mission every here and now, but he'll be staying at Beacon for the most part to keep cover," Cinder informed her. Neo did a playful version of a salute in response.

In the meantime I looked down at my scroll to see my new student identification, and just like Cinder said I had what seemed to be a completely legitimate ID from Shade Academy. I must say, whatever kind of contacts Cinder has are mighty impressive. I was scanning through the rest of the info involved with the new identification, including our room number for our dorm once we get to Beacon, but something caught my eye. Something that just didn't sit right with me.

"Cinder, what's our team name supposed to be?" I asked our leader.

Cinder looked confused at my question, but answered anyways. "Team CAME, it's pronounced Carmine. Why? Is there something wrong with it?" Cinder asked in turn.

Yep, that confirms it. Our team name is awful.

"It might be pronounced Carmine, but you know what our designation actually spells out right? Our team name is going to be made fun of all the time," I grumbled out.

Mercury noticed what I pointed out and couldn't help but snicker a little. Emerald looked as if she wanted to bash my face into a wall, Cinder looked slightly annoyed but she was the one that made the team name and I'm sure she sees my dilemma with it. Neo, well Neo just kind of facepalmed.

"It's too late now to change it, we will just have to deal with it. That won't be a problem will it?" Cinder questioned.

I swear cold sweat started to form on my neck. "Not at all, just something I wanted to point out is all," I quickly said. It seemed to have been a good enough answer because Cinder stood up and dropped the issue.

"Good, now gather your gear, we're heading out." On that final note our leader walked out, shortly followed by Emerald.

Once the two were gone I quickly looked over at Mercury and Neo, "I still can't believe we're going to be known as Team CAME…"


	6. Chapter 6

"Wow, this place is freaking impressive," I complimented.

Beacon Academy, at least on the outside, looks like it deserves it's more-than-impressive reputation. The place looked like some grand medieval castle, just more modern. The setting sun behind it definitely gave it a grand impression. Despite that it was early evening the courtyard was bustling with students who looked too preoccupied to give us a second glance. Those who did were just trying to eye us up and get a read on how strong we are. We are 'transfer students' after all taking part in the Vytal Festival.

"I'll even admit that this place seems too nice to be a school," Mercury turned towards me. "You think the beds are nice?"

"Could you focus for a second? Who cares how nice the beds are," Emerald scoffed at Mercury.

Mercury and I glanced at each other and shrugged our shoulders. Emerald was just being Emerald. She didn't seem to know how to play nice when it didn't come to Cinder.

"I for one care if the beds are nice. Being an orphan and living on the streets for a little while makes you appreciate the little things. I thought a former street rat like you would understand where Merc and I are coming from," I teased. It was surprising, but nice, to see Emerald roll her eyes at my jab towards her instead of trying to chastise me. It may just be that we're currently surrounded by students so she doesn't want to make a scene in front of so many people. No matter the reason I appreciate not getting my ear chewed out.

"Yes, Beacon is definitely very impressive, but it's foundation is built off of secrets and lies. Don't be too impressed with it," Cinder started before turning around and catching all of our attention. "Now that we're here let's take a look around. It's always good to get familiar with the campus, it would be sad to not know where everything is."

The hidden message being, 'while we explore find any structural weaknesses and gaps in security,' good enough for me. This might be a school to train warriors, but there are downsides to that. One it causes security protocols to be relatively lax and structural weak points to be not too uncommon. The reason for that is pretty simple. Everyone here is trained to fight monsters, the students and faculty can act as their own defense force if necessary, but that kind of logic leaves everything to chance. I for one, and I'm sure everyone else in our group, knows that overconfidence is something that can be easily exploited.

"Sounds good with me, I wanna know where the food is. That should be priority number one," I told Cinder.

Cinder chuckled slightly. "Yes Athrun, food is indeed important. It wouldn't be good if we didn't nourish our bodies."

Cinder started walking off in the direction of the cafeteria, the rest of us following close behind. We all already know the basic layout of the school. Cinder made sure of it before we arrived. Remembering where all the main structures were located was kind of annoying given the short amount of time I had to learn everything, but whatever.

We reached the double doors to the cafeteria only for a sign saying that it was closed until further notice.

"Closed? What kind of bullshit is this? It's mid-afternoon!" Mercury complained. I wanted to go to the cafe first because I was actually getting a little hungry, Mercury looked as if he was as well. Turning to look at Emerald her face was also slightly scrunched up. I guess even she can't argue with us complaining about the sudden lack of food.

Hearing a couple of footsteps behind us, I looked over my shoulder.

'Huh, that's awkward,' I thought.

The monkey faunus that tried to stop the dust robbery Roman and I were pulling off was standing right behind us, smiling and waving as he approached our group. The cat faunus girl that was with him that night was nowhere to be seen. Instead he was accompanied by a light blue haired teen that was wiping food and other things from his clothes. I felt like I should have been more surprised about coming into contact with someone I was in combat with not too long ago, but logically it makes sense. Beacon Academy is a school to train warriors and the people that tried to stop Roman and I at the docks were definitely Huntsman in training so running into them was always a possibility.

"Hey, are you guys new transfer students?" the monkey faunus asked us.

"Yes, my name is Cinder, leader of this team. We just arrived not too long ago and wanted to grab some food but as you can see the cafeteria is closed at the moment," Cinder replied.

The monkey faunus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, his blue haired friend kept stealing looks at Cinder. 'Oh buddy you are way out of your league.'

"Sorry, about that. We're transfer students as well. I'm Sun and my buddy here is Neptune. We were heading to the mess hall to meet up with some of my friends that go here but they kind of wrecked the place. Probably the most intense food fight I've ever seen. It was awesome!" the now-named Sun explained.

"Haha it's pretty hard to accept your apology for your friends, when you obviously support their actions," I joked lightheartedly. I then turned my attention towards Sun's friend, Neptune. "I like the hair, man."

Neptune smiled at me, "Yours is pretty cool as well, what's your name?"

"Athrun, nice to meet someone else with blue hair," I turn to Mercury and nudge him with my shoulder. "See I told you that blue hair wasn't that uncommon, asshole."

"He's also probably as drab as you are," Mercury retorted.

"Think what you want man, but just take a good look at me," Neptune replied with a sparkling smile on his face.

Mercury lifted up his hand and refused to look at Neptune. "Sorry, I'd rather not. I'm not gay," sending a wink at Emerald, which caused our teammate to roll her eyes.

Neptune looked as if he didn't really know what to say in response, but his friend Sun came in to help him out.

"Haha, Neptune you don't have to try to be so cool all the time man, just chill a little." Sun then pointed at Mercury and Emerald. "So are you two an item?"

"We are _not_ an item!" Emerald snapped, but Mercury put a hand over her mouth and just smiled at Sun.

"They're an item. Emerald here is just embarrassed because they just started their relationship," I informed Sun, looking behind my shoulder to give Emerald a mischievous look. The glare she sent me could have killed a lesser man, but it was totally worth it.

"Gotcha, so does that mean that you two are a pair as well?" Sun pointed back and forth from me to Cinder. Neptune seems to have gathered his wits and was paying attention to the conversation once again now that Cinder was a part of the topic.

I glanced at Cinder not sure of what to say for our cover. Not that I cared if we led people to believe we were in a relationship or not but I didn't wanna say something that she wouldn't be comfortable with. Pissing of Emerald is one thing, pissing off Cinder is a whole new game. A game I don't want to play.

"No, Athrun and I aren't an item. We're just good friends. Besides he's too popular with the girls back home. Not that he tries, of course," Cinder answered.

'Don't be making me sound like some playboy. I'm not,' I thought.

"Cool, just curious. Hopefully my questions didn't make any of you guys uncomfortable," Sun said.

"Not at all, it was nice to see some other transfer students. Maybe we'll see you around some time," Cinder replied before walking off. Emerald and Mercury following behind her still bickering with each other.

I was about to follow, but a tap on my shoulder caused me to turn around and face Sun and Neptune once more.

"Yeah?"

Sun scratched the back of his neck. "Well, we were wondering if you would wanna trade information so we could keep in touch. We know another team here that's really cool and we could all hang out sometime or something."

I crossed my arms and thought about the offer. We _are_ posing as students after all and hanging out with some of the population could net me some info or just relieve myself from the boredom of classes.

"Sure," I casually reply and Sun swapped info with me. Neptune then wrapped an arm around me.

"One last question, what do you think my chances are of getting with that one girl on your team, Cinder?" Neptune asked.

'Oh, dust.' I look Neptune dead in the eye. "Neptune, if you value your manhood I suggest you don't even try. She will literally roast off your dick," I told the teen, his and Sun's face paling.

"Anyways, I'll be off then." With that final note I leave the two of them to regroup with my 'team'.

* * *

"So what have we learned?" Cinder demanded as we walked down one of the many hallways of Beacon.

"Access to the courtyard seems to be only accessible by airship and bullheads. But, the security governing that access seems to be relatively lax so possible infiltration from that front seems viable," Emerald reported.

"Just as we thought, personal security is very weak. Outside of the Professors and students there aren't any guards. However, if our information about General Ironwood coming into town is correct then that should change very soon," Mercury chipped in.

It seems as if Cinder and Emerald also knew about the Atlas General coming to Vale, but I have heard nothing about it so far. Way to keep me out of the loop guys.

I caught Cinder glancing at me. "Oh Athrun, sorry. I forgot to tell you about that. The four of us are counting on the good General arriving for our plans. Once he does arrive I am going to need you to do something for us. I'll let you know then," the fiery woman told me.

I nodded in response. I'll know when I need to know. I cough into my hands a couple times in preparations with my own findings.

"I already have a mental map of all camera locations, and have discovered the blind spots for each and every one of them. I'll make a map of them on my scroll and send the three of you the data once we make sure our dorm isn't bugged in anyway," I said.

Cinder brought a finger to her chin, mulling over the information we just gave her. After a couple seconds a satisfied grin appeared on her face. "Good work everyone. Let's head to our dorms for now. We do have classes tomorrow that we need to prepare for," Cinder cooed.

Emerald eyes brightened at the praise, and Mercury just shrugged.

Me, well I was just curious about what 'classes' are going to be like. I've never been to actual school before so it'll be a fresh experience for me. I'm kind of excited now that I'm thinking about it. I look over at Emerald and Mercury. I think Mercury may have gone to school, but I'm not completely sure. His dad was a well known assassin and a jackass according to Merc himself so he might have just been taught at home. Emerald on the other hand is a street rat like me. She's probably never had any schooling so I wonder if she's nervous or excited at all.

My inner musings ended when I heard the noise of a door opening. Some panicked words echoed through the hall before a small teen girl bumped into Emerald. I expected the green haired teen to be pissed about being ran into but she put on a pleasant smile and stretched her hand out. As the new girl mumbled an apology up at Emerald.

"It's fine, just try to watch where you're going," Emerald said, helping the girl up.

Once I got a look at the newcomer I instantly recognized her. She was that 'Red' girl from the docks. Truthfully it would be just my luck to encounter someone that has fought me, or rather the 'Blue Hawk', already. Maybe Roman had a point about people like her being like roaches and just always coming back. No, bad. Bad Athrun, never admit Roman is right. Ever.

"So are you all new?"

The sound of 'Red's' voice brought me back from the depths of my mind.

"I guess you could say that. We're transfer students," I told 'Red.'

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cinder giving 'Red' one of her looks. Does she recognize the small teen?

"Oh, that's cool, but exchange students have their own dormitory," the smaller teen replied.

"I guess we just got turned around." Mercury sarcastically replied, but I'm not sure if the girl caught on to it.

"Don't be an ass, Merc," I chastised my friend. He gave me a questioning look in turn but I winked at him, letting him know that I'll handle this.

"My team and I just arrived today and we were really impressed with Beacon so we decided to have a look around. We didn't know it was against the rules to come to the students' dormitory. Our apologies," I explained to 'Red'.

'Red' looked a little embarrassed at my apology. "Hehe, it's not that it's not allowed. Sorry to make you feel like you did something wrong. I just thought you guys were lost. Didn't mean to imply anything," she told us sheepishly.

I waved her off. "Not a problem. You were just wanting to be helpful. Isn't that what being a Huntsman and Huntress is all about?"

The girl brightened up immediately. "Exactly! I'm doing this because I just really want to help people, and if I can protect everyone at the same time then that makes it even better. I know that might be hard, but the best things are what you need to work hardest for, am I right?"

"Definitely." I replied with a wide smile on my face. On the inside it was a completely different story. Help everyone? Please, how naive can she be? Not everyone can be helped, some of our cries are never heard. Like Kira's and Sasha's.

"Oh! I forgot I need to grab something from the library. It was nice talking to you four but I need to go," the young teen informed us before heading down the hall.

Emerald and Mercury nodded and took this as their cue to continue onward. Even Cinder started walking off but I stayed behind. Cinder looked back wondering what I was thinking. I mouthed 'info' at her and she just continued walking along, leaving me alone.

I turned around and started rushing towards the direction I saw 'Red' head towards. She said she was going to the library and in no time at all I caught up to the young girl. She seemed to have opted for briskly walking instead of running after having rammed into Emerald earlier.

"Hey!" I called out, catching the girl's attention.

'Red' turned around, slightly confused at seeing me.

"Oh, you. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"First of the name is Athrun, not 'you' and I heard you were going to the library and I thought I might as well try to make some new friends." I lifted my hands up and waved them nervously. "Hopefully you don't think I'm too weird for doing so, hehe," I chuckled.

"Well I'll admit, it is a little weird that you followed me, but Yang does always bug me about making new friends." The small teen stuck her hand out. "The names Ruby, Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you Athrun!" the now-named Ruby declared.

I shook her hand with a smile on my face. At least I know her name so I don't have to call her 'Red' anymore.

"Well Ruby, if you don't mind me asking, what is it you left in the library?" I inquired.

"Oh, just Remnant: The Game, nothing too important but I don't want anyone taking it, you know?" Ruby casually replied as we continued to walk down the halls of Beacon.

I tapped the side of my chin a couple times. "Is that the game where you try to conquer the world or something?"

The next moment there was a red and black barbed girl halted before me with her eyes wide and hands held in front of her chin. "Yes! Do you play? I'm pretty good at the game if I may say so myself," Ruby declared quite proudly.

"Really now? I haven't played the game much. Maybe one or two times, but people have told me that I pick things up pretty fast. I'm sure I could take you on," I taunted, nudging Ruby's shoulder, causing the small teen to lose her balance and pout before rushing to catch back up to me.

"Well if you think you can beat me then I challenge you, Athrun, to a match of Remnant!" Ruby stated, pointing at me intensely.

I chuckled in amusement a of couple times. This girl gets worked up so easily. "Well Ruby, I, Athrun Crocell humbly accept your challenge. Don't cry when I beat you though," I responded to her challenge with my own cheeky smile.

"You're on!" Ruby responded, throwing a fist in the air with gusto.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

A couple heads turned towards Ruby and I after her dramatic wail of defeat. Meanwhile I just played around with my massive army. The same massive army that conquered all of Ruby's forces the turn prior.

"Well then, Ruby, it looks like it's my win," I calmly told the girl as she had rivers of tears streaming down her face. Is this seriously the same girl that tried to interfere with Roman and I at the docks?

Ruby beat her chest a couple times and cleared her voice. "I guess it's my loss Athrun. You may have won this battle, but you have not won the war! Team RWBY has a secret weapon that not even you will be able to defeat."

'Wait, what?' I thought, before Ruby packed up her game and started dragging me off somewhere.

Despite my constant questions about where she was taking me Ruby just told me that all will be answered soon and that she will provide me with a challenge that even I won't be able to overcome. I'm not sure if this is happening because of her childish nature that I have observed, or if she's just a sore loser.

After a couple minutes the two of us ended up in the same area that Ruby initially ran into Emerald, except this time we were in front of a dorm room. Her dorm room.

"You know Ruby, it isn't proper to bring a guy back to your room after the first night," I teased, but the young teen didn't seem to have picked up on the innuendo.

"Why not? You're a friend now, and this is where you shall taste defeat!" Ruby spoke with enthusiasm.

Okay, so this girl is either really dense, or just sheltered. I'm going to go with sheltered.

Taking out her scroll Ruby opened the door to her dorm room, but before she was able to step inside she was greeted by a buxom blonde girl. A quick glance at the new girl instantly told me of at least one thing. That being, the blonde is quite _gifted_ in regards to her assets.

"Ruby! There you are, we were starting to get a little worried and I was about to come look for you. Where were you?" the blonde asked Ruby.

"Hehe, sorry sis. I got a little distracted," Ruby muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

'These two are sisters?! They don't look anything alike!'

"Distracted?" The blonde muttered confused, and that's when she took notice of me. I saw a quick flash in her eyes and in that moment I recognized something. This blonde girl is going to be one of those really protective types.

The next thing I knew the blonde teen had an arm around my shoulder and clenched down to bring me closer to her. Applying much more force than necessary, to be honest if she wasn't mildly choking me I would have probably appreciated the fact that the new girl has brought me so close to her breasts. I am still a teen male after all, sadly I am being choked right now.

"Um Yang, could you please let go of him? I think you're choking him," Ruby pleaded.

"Oh am I?" Yang asked, before letting go allowing oxygen to one again enter my lungs. She knew she was choking me, the bimbo.

Ruby patted my back a couple times as I coughed softly into my arm.

"Are you okay Athrun? Sorry about Yang, she just doesn't know her own strength sometimes," Ruby said.

I'm calling bullshit on that, She knew exactly what she was doing. "It's fine, it's fine. Worse has happened." I said, putting a smile on my face.

"Anyways Yang this is Athrun. I met him on my way to the library and before I knew it we played a match of Remnant against each other," Ruby explained.

The blonde girl, Yang, looked shocked at what Ruby just said. "Ruby… Are you finally getting interested in boys?!"

"What? No! I mean-" Ruby never got to finish her statement because the next moment Yang dragged her back inside their dorm room.

I sighed and was about to meet up with Cinder and the others. I can always talk to Ruby later and find out why she was at the docks as well as other things later. However, before I could leave I felt a strong grip on my arm before I was pulled into the dorm room also and being forced into a chair.

Looking around the room I saw that Ruby was standing next to her supposed sister who was in front of my seated position. There were a pair of other individuals in the room as well. Two other teen girls, and I recognized both of them. One of them was the cat faunus from the docks. It kind of makes since that the people who interrupted the heist would be close. The other occupant was someone I was able to recognize despite never meeting her. The white themed clothes, the side ponytail, and the scar were obvious giveaways. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I've stolen from them a couple times, very nice quality dust. The practices of the corporation itself might be controversial but their products are top notch. Another thing of note is, how were those beds stable?

"So why am I now in this chair, and why does this look like the beginnings of a bad interrogation?" I asked, brow raised.

"That's because it is. And, I'm going to be the one asking questions here. Got it?" Yang asked.

"Sure, got it." I replied nonchalantly.

A smirk appeared on Yang's face. "You won't be so casual in a moment, mister," Yang turned to the girl in black who seemed to be occupied in a book, arm outstretched. "Blake, ribbon please."

"No," the now-named Blake said, before flipping the page of her book.

"What, why?" Yang asked.

The black haired girl closed her book and sighed. "I'm not giving you my ribbon so you could tie up someone randomly. I doubt he did anything wrong."

Weiss sat up on her own bed. "Yes, why would you tie up Neptune anyways? We were with him and Sun earlier today unless if you're upset." After getting a closer look at me the heiress realized her mistake, "wait, you're not Neptune."

"Nope, but I guess I do have blue hair like he does. Mine is a little darker though. Just making sure, Neptune is the guy that tries to act cool and likes to hit on girls, right?" I asked.

Yang glanced at me. "Pretty much, he was trying to woo the Ice Queen over here," Yang said pointing at Weiss with her thumb.

"Hey!" Weiss complained.

"Sorry if you had a good opinion on him. He's a cool guy but I just thought he tried too hard. He asked me if he had a chance with one of my female teammates earlier. Also could I stand up now?" I asked.

Weiss looked shocked and then her facial expression turned into one of anger before she stomped her right foot on the ground a couple times.

Looks like I might have burst someone's bubble, oops. Honestly it was actually really funny yet adorable to see the heiress of the famed Schnee Dust Company throw a small tantrum. Not exactly something I expected out of someone of her status.

The girl named Blake got up off of her bed and offered me her hand which I took, being lifted out of the chair Yang pushed me down into.

"Thanks," I said. The book-loving girl waved me off and returned to her book.

"Well, now that it seems like I'm free to go, I'll be taking my leave. Sorry for disrupting your night, ladies," I gave a small bow. I noticed Weiss looked satisfied at the show of respect and Blake just nodded. Satisfied with the responses I received I turned to leave until an arm wrapped around my left.

Looking down I saw Ruby clutching onto me.

"Athrun you can't leave yet! I know Yang could be a little much but you need to play her in Remnant!" Ruby declared.

"Oh, so that's why you brought a guy over Ruby. I guess I don't have to worry then, hehe," Yang chuckled, despite the small glare I sent her.

Knowing that I was going to be playing Yang brought out the vindictive side within me. "Well then." I turn to look at the remaining occupants of the dorm room. "I have the sudden urge to beat someone at a certain board game. Hopefully you don't mind my presence for a little longer."

Blake shrugged. "I don't mind. This is Yang's fault for jumping to conclusions"

Weiss sighed, and brought a hand to her head. "Athrun, is it? Normally I wouldn't condone a boy being in here at this time. Especially someone that I don't know, but I do agree that you're not at fault here."

"Thank you," I said to the both of them before smirking at the one who put me in this situation.

"Well then, blondie, looks like it's time for you to be punished."

Yang crossed her arms. "As if you could handle me."

Ruby set down the board and quickly scurried away joining Weiss on her bed sensing the tension between Yang and I. If this scenario was happening in a TV show you could probably see arcs of electricity connecting our foreheads, fighting for dominance.

Taking our cards into our respective hands, the battle began.

It was a fierce game, curses were spat, names were called, and armies were destroyed. Yang proved to be a truly difficult adversary, and I didn't know if I was going to win at times. Yang would take many risks that Ruby wouldn't, however that made her a much more dangerous opponent. But, living on my own for a long time and having to come up with on the spot plans during heists gave me some tactical intuition. Although this may be a board game and nothing nearly as stressful as a robbery, being tactically-inclined is always helpful.

"With this, I believe it is my victory Yang," I declared with a huge grin on my face as I made the winning move.

Yang stared gobsmacked at the board and blinked once, then twice, and then smashed her hand on the ground, her eyes flashing red for a moment.

'Interesting,' I thought. That flash of red in her eyes wasn't natural. Something to look into later.

"What is with blue haired people being so good at this damn game!" Yang complained, looking away from the board game with an obvious frown.

"I'm guessing this other blue haired dude that's good at this game is Neptune?" I asked, propping my chin up in my hands.

"Yeah," Yang mumbled.

I stood up and stretched my arms and legs. "Well then, I think that because I won and you put me in such an uncomfortable position earlier, I think you should listen to a request of mine."

"Oh?" Yang raised a single brow. "What would that request be?"

The rest of the room looked on expectantly to see what I was going to request.

I took my time, making it seem like I was putting some genuine thought into my request when I already knew what I wanted.

Lifting a finger up into the air and putting on a wide smile I looked over at Yang.

"Here's my request. We got of on the wrong foot so how about we start over. My name is Athrun Crocell. A transfer student here from Mistral with the rest of my team to compete in the Vytal Festival. It's nice to meet you."

I can see that the occupants of the room had different reactions. Ruby looked happy, Blake looked both indifferent and unsurprised, while Weiss looked genuinely shocked. The heiress probably thought I was going to suggest something perverted. I caught her expression as she turned her head away, slightly embarrassed and a slight blush that tinged her pale cheeks.

"Well then. I definitely think I can follow those conditions," Yang said as she offered me her hand. I went to take it but then she wrapped her arm around me again. The difference this time was that it was much more friendly and didn't choke me. "I'll be honest, I expected your request to be more… interesting," Yang chuckled, bringing me closer to her breasts and smirking.

I quickly got myself out of her grasp and composed myself. "Well, I like to show that not all men are pigs. Friendship and a strong foundation are more important anyways than on-the-whim desires," I responded cooly.

"Heh, you're alright Athrun. Feel free to come knocking whenever you like." Yang turned towards the other girls. "I know you don't mind Rubes, he was your friend first, but what about the rest of you girls?"

"I don't mind. Can I get back to my book now?" Blake asked.

I sheepishly smiled at her in apology. It might not be directly my fault but I feel partially at fault because me being here indirectly ended in Yang bugging her. A brief nod let me know Blake got my message.

"Yeah, yeah, get back to reading, you bookworm. How about you Weiss?" Yang asked the heiress.

Weiss looked at me for a couple seconds before answering. "Well, I suppose he's alright. He doesn't seem like one of those boys trying to become friends with us because we're an all-girl team. And I suppose as well it isn't a bad thing having more male friends. Our current friend group is rather dominated by girls after all."

I sent a small smile Weiss' way in thanks, which seemed to please the heiress.

"Wow, even the Ice Queen gave you her approval. Didn't expect that, but you seem like a genuine guy," Yang told me.

"Yay! I, Ruby Rose, the proud leader of Team RWBY hereby declare Athrun Crocell a friend of team RWBY!" Ruby exclaimed happily.

"Haha, well thanks you four. It's getting late so I should head back to my team and let you ladies get your beauty sleep. Thanks for having me, even though we started off rocky," I said.

"Don't be a stranger Athrun," Yang called out as I stepped outside of the room of Team RWBY.

"I won't!" I called out.

Looking down at my scroll I saw a message from Mercury asking where I was. I sent him a quick reply letting him know that I'm good and on my way to the dorm.

After a couple minutes I was in the room Team CAME was assigned. Still can't fucking believe that's our damn name.

"So Athrun, what have you been up to?" Cinder asked me from her seated position on the bed.

"Just making some new friends. That girl that bumped into Emerald was one of the same girls that were at the Docks. Her name is Ruby, leader of an all-girl team known as Team RWBY. The other members include this blonde bimbo that's somehow her sister, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and the cat faunus that was at the docks with Sun the monkey faunus who we met earlier in the day. Now we know where all of our problem children are from," I told the group.

"Well, even I'll have to admit that's some decent work there, Athrun," Emerald begrudgingly said.

"Not too shabby, you even got to become friends with a team full of girls. I've trained you well," Mercury teased.

"I've learned from the best after all." I replied, fist-bumping Mercury.

"Yes, good work Athrun. It seems like bringing you into our group was truly a good idea. I was going to have Emerald work as our friendly face, because we know how Mercury can get. However, you have already taken the initiative on that regard. Emerald will still help with getting closer to the students but I feel like I can leave the brunt of the task to you. Is that alright?" Cinder asked, but I doubt it was an actual question. Just an order shaped like one.

"Yeah, no problem," I calmly told Cinder.

Cinder smiled at me. "Wonderful, don't make any plans tomorrow night, though."

That confused me a little. "Why not? Not that I was going to anyways."

Cinder crossed her legs. I'll be completely honest, the uniform doesn't show her legs off nearly as well as her usual wear. A shame really.

"Neo and Roman secured an important asset to our cause while we transferred here to Beacon. Since you are publically known to be working with Roman I need you to be with him tomorrow when he leads a rally," Cinder explained.

Great, I get to see Roman again, so exciting… On the bright side, though, seeing Neo without her trying to kick my ass for once sounds nice.

"Got it, so what is this asset they acquired?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"Just a new toy. A slightly destructive new toy," was the chilling response I received.

'Oh boy, shit's going to go down tomorrow, I already know that.'

* * *

 **A/N: Again thank you for taking the time to read this story. Tell me what you liked, disliked and just your thoughts in the review section or a PM, I try to answer my reviewers whenever possible. Team CAME is now at Beacon and Athrun is starting to interact with the characters we know and love. Next chapter should have some action for those of you waiting for something to happen.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, summer classes and my own laziness are the only reasons I can provide you dear readers. Of course a thank you to my Beta dongyrn for all of his hard work.**

* * *

The first thing that came to mind when I approached the designated coordinates this evening was that abandoned warehouses were becoming really overdone. Seriously, I met with Mercury in a creepy warehouse, met with Cinder for the first time in a creepy warehouse, and now where am I supposed to meet Roman? Another creepy abandoned warehouse. It's starting to get really old. Maybe I should let Cinder know that it's really tacky and cliche. Best case scenario we could meet in a club or something. That would be infinitely be more exciting, and I could possibly find something to distract myself from Roman's company. But no, I am going to be stuck in another warehouse with the self centered shit for I don't even know how long. At least Neo is going to be there. Rant is now over.

The two White Fang members standing at attention by the entrance luckily knew I was coming, because they let me pass with a single nod in my direction, how polite of them. At least Roman's piss poor attitude towards them didn't make them instantly sneer at me.

Looking around I noticed that the place wasn't as large as I thought it would be for a rally with the intentions of recruiting more White Fang members. Even the current number of White Fang currently inside and around the warehouse was a lot smaller than what I expected. There were the two guards outside and it seems that there are only about eighteen other members of the White Fang currently inside, bringing the total count to twenty. Unless more are coming later, that is a shockingly low number in case law enforcement somehow gets a tip on our location. I'm pretty handy in a fight, especially after my personal training with Neo. Roman can hold his own, and Neo is, well, she's Neo. Despite the three of us I'm not sure if we could take on a large horde of Vale P.D. on our doorstep, so it's either a mistake of judgement on Cinder's part, which I heavily doubt, or this 'toy' she told me about packs quite the punch.

Feeling a familiar presence behind me I turn around before two hands could reach up and cover up my mask, blinding me. "Neo, after getting my ass handed to me for I don't even want to remember how long I can finally sense your presence. You won't get the drop on me so easily now," I tell my friend cheekily.

Neo rolls her eyes at me and softly punches my left arm. I just grin at her in return, happy to be with my favorite little midget again. Of course I wouldn't say that out loud, I enjoy living.

Taking my arm Neo started to pull me around the warehouse while the surrounding members of the White Fang continued to set up for the night's rally. Looking down at my friend I decided to see what she's been up to. "So what have you been doing with Roman after the rest of us left?"

The chilling smile that morphed its way onto Neo's face gave me enough a clue as to what possibly could have gone down. Meaning people got hurt, possibly killed, and valuable items were stolen. Neo might look cute and sweet, but she does have a sadistic side to her and I know she has no problems with killing during a job. Truthfully it kind of pains me to see someone like her who is around my age, possibly a year or two younger or older, have no issue with taking the life of another and enjoy the act of doing so. I can't really judge her for it. Part of it is her situation, she was an orphan like me from what I understand and Roman took her under his wing off of a mere feeling he had when he saw her alone, drenched from the rain in the slums. Ever since she has been immensely loyal to the bowler-hat-wearing prick, living a life of crime with him. I might not like Roman, but I do appreciate the fact that he did at least one decent thing, and that was give a lost girl a reason to live, even if it is a life of crime. It's infinitely better than what could have happened to her. At least she's not dead.

I must have spaced out into my own thoughts longer than I thought because I eventually felt a soft throbbing on my left arm and saw that Neo was poking me repeatedly, trying to garner my attention. I looked at her mildly concerned face and gave her a smile to let her know I was okay. Not sure if she was buying it though based off of the raised brow she shot at me, but she didn't push which I appreciated. I'm not completely sure if she would appreciate how I kind of sort of feel bad for her because of her sadistic tendencies and aversions when it comes to ending someone's life. She most likely wouldn't care about what I thought on the matter, but better safe than sorry.

"How many people did you kill this time Neo?" I asked her jokingly, playing it off. It's easier for me to accept our different ways of going about our business by making light of it. Morbid? Yes, but it helps.

Neo held up four fingers, which is a really low number for her general kill count after a bigger assignment, at least from what I have heard. My disbelief must have been written on my face because she pouted at me.

"Sorry, typically I'm used to receiving a much larger number than just four, why so little this time?"

A shrug of Neo's shoulders was my answer, but her gaze lingered on me for a smidge longer than it should have. She's thinking of something, and I want to know what's on her mind, but she respected my thoughts earlier so I should do the same for her. "Well if you only killed four, how many did you severely injure?"

If one did not know the true meaning behind Neo's 'sweet' smile it tends to mean something the opposite of nice.

"Are you not going to tell me?" Neo shook her head in confirmation, "I'm not going to try and guess how many people you maimed Neo," I told my friend.

With a huff Neo signed at me the number fifty eight. Fucking fifty eight people! First of all that's mighty impressive, second she took down fifty eight people on whatever her and Roman's last heist was and only killed four. That's unheard of to me. Now I really wanna know why she didn't do her typical kill at least half of the people she engages.

"Wow, and you only killed four of them? Are you starting to get soft on me?" I teased light heartedly, but truthfully I was happy about the turn of events. A swift punch to the gut, left me trying to gather my breath. I had that one coming though, from my hunched over position I was level with Neo's face. She was looking away from me, but her pale cheeks were tinged a very faint pink. I didn't expect my comment to embarrass her. It's kind of cute.

"How hard is it to move something onto a stage! Seriously, we're on a schedule here."

Hearing Roman's voice barking out complaints to the poor White Fang members under him reminded me that he was here as well. I guess it was wishful thinking to hope I could enjoy my time here with just Neo. Glancing over at the direction Roman's voice came from, what I saw almost caused my eyes to fly out of their sockets. There was a giant mech suit in here. A giant fucking mech suit. Cinder wasn't kidding about the new 'toy' that Roman and Neo acquired being destructive. This thing looked like it was armed to handle a small army, the only issue is that it didn't look as if it was quite yet complete. It seemed to me it was an armed exoskeleton instead of a finished product, but it was still damn impressive looking.

"Roman!"

The self proclaimed criminal mastermind turned towards me after hearing my voice and I really wish I could have capture the look of annoyance and disdain on his face on my scroll, oh well. It will forever be recorded in my mind.

Roman glanced over at Neo, "He's here already? I thought I could go at least another hour before having to hear his voice."

"And I was hoping I just wouldn't have to see your ugly mug, also…" I walk up to him and snatch his cigar out of his mouth before dropping it on the ground and stepping on it. "Smoking is bad for you," I said in my most cheerful voice, which got Neo to silently giggle and Roman to growl.

"Can I please put a hole in his chest cavity? He's asking for it already!" Roman asked Neo, lifting Melodic Cudgel to be level with my chest.

Luckily Neo decided it wasn't my time to die just yet, because she hooked an arm around one of mine and wagged a finger at Roman. A clear 'no killing Athrun' in my book.

"How about a weaker blast? It would just hurt a lot, but he would live and I would be appeased. We all win!"

"And this is where I say no, being blasted by your weapon does not sound like a win for me. Remember I was trying to help you by putting out your bad habit," I told Roman, moving his weapon away from me with my free hand. The older thief grunted and continued to walk on with Neo and I behind him.

"Just shut up for a second, and let me tell you what you're here for before my headache gets any worse."

"Aww come on Roman, you don't like me. I hate you. Neo somehow likes both of us. We're like a dysfunctional family."

Roman held up a gloved hand which I barely stopped myself from walking into.

"Please spare me the thought of us being together anymore than I already have to. That thought you just put in my head is making me cringe like no other."

"Yeah, it was pretty disgusting wasn't it?"

We both chuckled softly while Neo smiled at the both of us.

"No, that moment did not mean we're getting along," We said in unison, the two of us then looked at each other and scowled while Neo chuckled.

The three of us came to a stop at the imposing war machine that I saw the White Fang moving earlier.

"Alright Blue Hawk, this here is a prototype for Atlas' new military gizmo, the Atlesian Paladin. The thing is a walking Grim slayer. Despite it being a prototype, it is basically fully armed. Just not as armored as the final model. While you were having fun at school with Cinder, Neo and I were busy getting a hold of a couple of these bad boys," Roman informed me.

"Wait, so you have more than just this one?"

"Yep, the rest of them have been shipped off to their final location. We just needed this one for tonight's rally which I will be leading."

I looked at Roman in disbelief, "You're telling me you, Roman Torchwick, are planning on being the main speaker. You're a blatant racist."

Roman smirked at my comment, "I am indeed, but the newbies won't know that. Besides, I have a way with words. Ms. 'Fire and Ashy' thought it would be nice if I tried to develop some 'trust' with the faunus so they're more likely to listen to us in the future."

He's not wrong, Roman does have a silver tongue when he wants to. The question is are the White Fang okay with this?

"You might be a part of the rally tonight Torchwick, but remember, in the end these faunus will be part of the White Fang and ultimately answer to us," a deep voice echoed.

Roman did some sort of 'oh' gesture before grabbing me by the shoulders and turning me around to look at the man who spoke out. He looked fairly different than the other White Fang members that I saw earlier. His mask covered the whole front of his face with short black hair on his head, he was very muscular, some tattoo design was on his left arm, and his uniform looked different as well. He was definitely not your normal member.

"Blue Hawk, I would like to introduce you to Lt. Banesaw, Lt. this is the Blue Hawk," Roman introduced us. I for some reason doubted he actually went by Lt. Banesaw, don't know why. Just a feeling.

"Shut it Torchwick, I have no need for your petty nicknames," the giant faunus growled out before observing me.

"I am a Lieutenant of the White Fang and one of our core leader's right-hand men. Just call me Lieutenant or Lt. and we should be as fine as a human and faunus can be if you don't get in the way," the Lieutenant informed me, hand outstretched.

I took his hand and had to stop my face from grimacing due to the power in his grip. I couldn't afford to show any weakness to this guy so I returned his grip the best I could. Of course I couldn't match his strength but I could at least show he didn't intimidate me. Eventually he let go of my hand, and although I couldn't see his face I think he was pleased.

"I'll admit, I thought the Blue Hawk would be more than just a kid fresh in his years, but you don't seem too bad at first glance. You can at least hold a proper handshake unlike Torchwick."

Roman scowled at that comment.

"I've been in the business for a while despite my age. If I couldn't maintain a simple handshake I wouldn't be here," I replied.

"Indeed," the Lieutenant looked over at Roman. "Torchwick, the Paladin is in place and we're getting ready to let the faunus outside come in. I recommend you get ready. Remember if things don't go well, Adam won't be pleased." With that little warning the White Fang Lieutenant left to probably get to wherever he needs to be for this rally.

After making sure the Lieutenant was out of hearing range Roman turned to Neo and I. "I swear, higher-ranking members of the White Fang all try to look so edgy. If you thought Banesaw was bad you should see his boss. He's a real edgelord."

"Pfft," I couldn't help a couple chuckles breaking out. Roman had a serious point there, the Lieutenant seemed to be trying really hard for that 'edgy' look and if his boss, I think he said Adam was his name, was worse I really wouldn't want to meet him. I might not be able to keep my composure.

"You thought so too huh?" Roman said light heartedly. "However Athrun…"

Hearing Roman use my actual name clued me in that he was about to be serious with something.

"Banesaw's boss, Adam. He's a real character, not the kind that you want to piss off. I know how you think about unnecessary killing and that it irks you slightly whenever Neo or I end up killing some rat, but actually listen to me for once. Adam is messed up, if you thought Neo had a sadistic streak this guy has the whole hate and vengeance streak going for him. He will torture, maim, and murder whomever gets in his way without a single care in the world. What I guess I'm trying to say is that even though Neo and I do kill people we also have the mission in mind, or at least I do, Neo typically just kills but she's been getting better." Roman shook his head a little bit. "I'm getting off topic, just remember the guy will kill just to get some blood on his blade," he informed me with the most serious face I've seen on him in a while.

I gave the man a nod in confirmation, I didn't feel like words were necessary. Roman obviously understood that I actually took his warning to heart, because the very next moment he started twirling Melodic Cudgel and gave me his cheekiest smile.

"Well it seems to me you actually payed attention for once, now just stand over to the side with Neo and let the big boys do their work," the criminal said, before moving up onto the stage with the now covered Atlesian Paladin.

Not having a witty comment of my own at the moment, I just stood off to the side behind Roman, Neo opting to stand next to me. We moved just in time, because the front entrance to the warehouse opened up not a moment later and faunus started pouring in, White Fang masks being put on their face. Behind the new recruits were many normal grunts of the organization. I guess the rest of the White Fang was just waiting until the assembly to actually show up. To be honest I was impressed, there were a good amount of faunus gathering and seemingly joining the White Fang. The details aren't known to me, but this rally was really well advertised.

The Lieutenant was up, standing in front of the masses. It seems he wasn't intimidated by the crowd before him, which is befitting of his rank of his rank in the organization. Plus he didn't seem to be the kind of guy who would be nervous about public speaking. He didn't speak for long though, just a quick introduction before passing the spotlight to his esteemed 'guest', one Roman Torchwick.

Roman had no problem taking the mainstage, despite the fact that the majority of the White Fang that has worked under him don't like him, but the new members don't need to know that.

"What's a human doing here?!" One of the new faunus called out. A very valid question. No one would have expected the notorious Roman Torchwick to be working with the White Fang unless they were informed ahead of time.

"Glad you asked, dearie. But it's not just one human that's here, but three." Roman replied with his classic smile. I wasn't expected to be dragged into this after Roman just told me to wait on the side with Neo, but I can play along for the sake of the mission.

Neo and I walked into view. Still not upfront with Roman, but we were out in the open.

"Hey is that the Blue Hawk?" Another faunus called out. "So he is working with Roman? Wow I thought that was just a rumor."

"Is it true that you sympathize with the faunus? Is that why you're now working with Roman and the White Fang?" A more excited voice called out from the masses.

Being asked a question from someone in the crowd so suddenly caught me off guard. I didn't expect myself to have to say anything. That's Roman's job, I'm just here to… Actually I'm just here because Cinder told me to come here.

"Yes. I am disgusted with the treatment that is forced upon you all based off of something like race. Who gives a damn if someone has horns? If you were born with claws? Have an extra pair of ears? How does something like that make you inferior? It doesn't. If anything it makes all of you stronger and more unique than humans can ever be. Besides, I myself, find a pair of cat ears or possibly a fluffy fox tail to be pretty cute," I shoot a wink at a female faunus that has such a fluffy fox tail, causing her to blush slightly. Neo jabbed me in the side for that, she jabbed me very hard, but it was worth it.

Rubbing my sore side, I shoot a sheepish smile at Neo. Earning an annoyed look from her before turning my attention back to the crowd. "You have enhanced abilities that normal humans do not have. Better vision, hearing, the list goes on. Do you want to know why I think some humans detest the faunus?" I pause for a brief moment, catching my breath and letting the mass before me ponder upon my words. "I think it's because they're jealous." My gaze sweeps across the rally. "They're jealous that faunus have some advantage that humans like me don't. They don't try to put you below them because you're inferior. No, it's because you are all superior to humans. Humans are greedy creatures by nature. We constantly desire for new things, but what we desire most as a race is being the best. The faunus are a threat to the pedestal that humans believe to be their Oum-given right to stand upon. So the next time some human sneers in your direction, just remember. There is no reason for you to think you are any worse than them. Next time you're called an animal, just think. Are you the animal? Or is the animal the person that needs to stomp on someone else just to feed their own ego?"

A couple of cheers started to echo in the warehouse giving me a small ego boost. "I feel as if you all have the right to try and earn your independence. Your cause is just and reasonable, but let me say one last thing." The cheers stopped momentarily, the audience waiting for my final words.

"When you earn your rights do not abuse them and try to force humans below you," I lifted a palm up in the air to silence anything before it can even begin. "If you force humans below you then that will make you just as bad as them. You all may think the deserve it, and us humans probably do. But, if you treat them how they treated you then all of you will be nothing but hypocrites and you will be telling the human race that the faunus are the animals that they thought you all were. Prove them wrong instead."

Having finished my speech, which went on longer than I intended. I took a couple steps back indicating that I was done. Roman gave me a look of surprise, probably not expecting me to do as well as I did speaking to the masses. Neo looked happy and impressed with my speech, giving me a thumbs up as I returned to her side. The only one that didn't look completely pleased was the Lieutenant. I couldn't see his face behind his custom mask, but I could just tell he wasn't very happy with me. It was probably the part about not beating the human race into the ground that upset him. Oops.

"Now that our other special guest said his piece let's keep moving forward shall we," Roman spoke up before the silence could linger. With a snap of his fingers, the tarp surrounding the Atlesian Paladin fell off, revealing the mech to all the faunus. The cheers started up all over again, with much more enthusiasm with the weapons reveal.

"As some of you may have heard, this right here is Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my employer, we managed to snag a few before they, uh, hit the shelves. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the south east. If you would rather stay within the city, that's fine," Roman informed the gathered faunus, but he still had more to say. "But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?" Roman finished, his gaze roaming the gathered faunus, I don't have to see his face to know that he's grinning.

The faunus ate up Roman's words, cheering him on. The guy really didn't need an ego boost. Could we go back to when they were cheering for me? That was nice.

Sadly it seems like things might be getting a bit more complicated. While Roman has just been soaking in the praise he's been receiving, I caught notice of some people that shouldn't be here. Those people being a certain cat and monkey faunus. A change of clothes and a closed shirt won't stop me from recognizing you with a mask on. What amateurs.

I walked up to Roman and nudged his side, "We have some unwelcome guests." His gaze followed mine, taking notice of the two faunus that interrupted our heist at the docks.

The two individuals in question knew that we recognized them, but Sun actually had the audacity to wave at us… I really wish we didn't have to be enemies, he's a fun guy. Stupid, but fun.

My right hand starts to slowly trail back to NightWing's sheath, closing around one of the two blades. I saw Blake reach down, probably to grab her own weapon. Before I could make my move Blake pulled up her weapon and shot the fusebox in the warehouse, causing the place to became shrouded in darkness.

'Smart.' She knows that Roman and I are human. We don't have a faunus' inherent night vision.

"Don't let them get away! Urgh!"

Roman, they don't know who 'they' are, ya dingus.

"Sun, the window!" Blake called out, tracing their position through the sound of her voice, I pop a couple shots in their direction, but I don't think I actually hit anything.

"Stop them!"

"The cat and monkey faunus, they're spies!" I shouted out, providing more details as to what is happening. It was too late though, a loud crash signified a window breaking, and the small amount of moonlight leaking through the now broken window allowed me to see the retreating silhouettes of Sun and Blake.

"Wiiiirrrr," a start up noise caused me to turn around towards the direction of the Paladin, Roman climbing in the side the machine.

"What do you think you're doing?" I shouted.

"Catching a couple of rats," was the answer I received before Roman drove the Paladin through one of the walls in pursuit.

I palmed my head, feeling the beginning of a small migraine emerge. Why can't things just go smoothly?

A small hand patted my shoulder, and I saw Neo made her way next to me, obviously wanting to know what I planned on doing.

An inevitable sigh escaped my lips. "I'm going to try and make sure Roman doesn't do anything too stupid like get captured. Neo, I want you to make sure that we don't have any more uninvited guests, and then prepare some form of transport to come get Roman and I. I'm sure you'll know where to look. He's in a giant fucking mech, after all."

Neo winked at me before sauntering off to complete the tasks I gave her. Now all I need to do is save Roman's ass. Again. I swear, some divine force is somehow scripting the events of my life, and not in the way I want them to.

* * *

 **A/N: If you enjoyed the chapter please leave a review or send me a pm. If you didn't like the chapter, let me know how I can improve. Thank you for taking the time to read, and next chapter will have some action. I know, I said that last time, but this chapter would have dragged on for a bit too long if I included the mech fight. Please forgive me! *bows***


	8. Chapter 8

I sprinted outside of the hole Roman conveniently left for me when he so suddenly departed to chase Sun and Blake, a couple fresh recruits of the White Fang running around wildly while the senior members restored the order that has been disturbed. I extend my right arm, a thread of reinforced steel wire sprang forth and attached itself to a nearby roof, pulling me onto the ceiling. Looking ahead, I was able to see Sun and Blake maneuver themselves from rooftop to rooftop, their acrobatic prowess was very impressive.

If I was just trailing the two faunus then it might have actually proved difficult to catch up to them. However, Roman was in hot pursuit barreling through everything in his path. Practically calling attention to himself, which gave me a much easier beacon to follow. Luckily this part of town is relatively empty or else the thief could have seriously ended up injuring someone uninvolved with his reckless behavior.

My years spent being a thief a kicked in as I gave chase. I knew how to maneuver around the many streets of Vale, and the rooftops have always been a favorite place of mine that I would abuse when evading Vale PD. It's quite surprising how many people tend to not look up when looking for something or someone. I extend both of my arms, and my wires latch onto a bulletin board ahead of me. The wires retracted, and I practically slingshotted myself ahead in an attempt to cover the distance between Roman and I. The man was a decent ways ahead of me, having a head start on the hunt, not to mention being in a military grade robot that could run as fast as a high end sports car. But as long as the two faunus and Roman stuck to the streets I should be able to catch up soon enough.

Of course nothing can ever play out in a fashion that would be beneficial for Athrun. Blake and Sun decided to take their chase to a highway. I couldn't help myself. I stopped on the last rooftop leading towards the congested highways of Vale, my fists opened up and clenched tightly down upon themselves as I grit my teeth. In all seriousness, what are those two idiots thinking?! Do they not know about how dense traffic is going to be right now? Civilians are going to be everywhere, and now Roman is barreling through car after car trying to catch the Huntsman and Huntress in training. The chaos that was being processed in my eyes caused my blood to boil, I barely noticed the yellow and black motorcycle that zoomed past me, also trailing after the mayhem before me. How could anyone that vowed to fight for the sake of the people possibly be uncaring, or ignorant enough to bring conflict into a highly populated area. And Roman, the man told me within the last hour about how bloodthirsty this Adam guy was and just now he barged through cars carrying people unaware of what's going on like it's no big issue to him, like it was some sort of game. After I get his prissy ass out of this situation I am going to make sure he knows how pissed I am about his blatant hypocrisy.

I probably would have stayed in place for a couple more moments if I didn't see something that made my mouth gape open, making look like some sort of idiot. Most of the cars that were knocked over crashed into cars behind them, or in the barriers placed to stop cars from driving over the ends of the highway and falling, but there was one car that stood out. A cherry red sedan that was launched higher in the air than all the others and was flying over the edge of the highway. A fall like that would most definitely kill a civilian without their aura unlocked. The highway was at least a hundred meters above the ground, hell even if they had their aura unlocked the car would most likely explode upon hitting the ground falling from that height and the concussive force would be enough to kill the if the fireball produced from the explosion didn't. I started moving before I even realized it, my body knew what I needed to do, and soon thereafter my mind processed what my body has already started doing. If these Huntsmen in training, these _protectors_ of the people weren't going to save this person's life then I fucking will.

I reached the side of the highway right as the car flew past me and started falling towards the ground below. I clipped one of Nightwing's two blades onto the wires attached to my wrists and threw it over the ledge at the car. The blade dug into the rear bumper of the car, and as I locked the mechanism controlling the thread, the tension in the wire built up immediately. As expected even with my aura reinforced strength I wasn't strong enough to pull the car up on my own. Actually, the car was starting to pull me over the ledge slowly as the muscles in my right arm strained and pulled to keep the car and whoever may be inside from falling to their demise. My feet touched the ends of the stone barrier on the side of the road and pushed against the stone to try and keep myself from falling over. Sweat started pouring down the sides of my face and I could feel the muscles straining even harder, threatening to tear very soon. I needed to find a solution, and needed one now. It was going to be impossible to drag the car up by raw strength, but I didn't need to save the car, just whoever is inside of it… Fuck, why do I feel like this plan is retarded?

Reluctantly I forced the muscles in my leg to relax and the next moment I felt myself get pulled over the ledge.

'I need to act fast.'

My left arm extended towards the highway and another trail of wire sprang forth and attached itself to the highway I just fell from. Pain ripped through both of my arms, and I almost bit my tongue due to stopping myself from crying out as the strain of holding up the car travelled through both my arms instantly as my body came to a jarring halt. I turned my head towards the car, taking estimates of the distance between me and the car. The thread connecting myself to the car appeared to be about fifteen meters in length. My gaze traveled past the car to the ground below, which appeared to be another seventy meters, definitely not a distance I was comfortable face planting into.

The next step was going to be the more delicate procedure. I needed to reel myself in towards the car while extending the wires in my left arm at the same time. It's not something that I should have too much of an issue with, I have used these wires for years and was adept with them, but if I did manage to mess up then I could easily end up wrenching one of my arms from their sockets if not outright tear the muscles in them completely in a best case scenario. Worst case scenarios involve my ar literally tearing off, or death by falling.

I took a deep breath in and out, and slowly etched my way closer to the car. The tension in my left arm magnifying as I increased the amount of wire released while retracting the wires in my right vambrace. Sure enough, it felt like my left arm was on fire and my right arm was barely doing any better. The ring of dust shells flying especially didn't make it any easier. It seemed as if Roman finally started fighting whoever he may be dealing with right now.

My feet finally managed to touch the rear bumper of the vibrant red car. My eyes peered through the rear window, hoping that whoever was stuck inside the vehicle had the brain cells to try and comprehend why their fall towards certain death was stopped. Sure enough a young woman, most likely in her mid to late twenties was peering up at me, her eyes as wide as saucers. The sight would have been quite comical if my arms weren't tearing themselves apart right now. I bent my right knee and shot my leg down. The woman at least didn't cry out as I broke open the back window of her car even as some of the shards fell down on top of her.

"Climb up and grab on to me. Please make it quick," I choked out through grinding teeth. The pain in my arms was becoming unbearable, and I swear that I felt as if my left arm was tearing itself apart especially. It was to my great pleasure that the woman didn't ask any questions and accepted the fact I was here to help, thank Oum for that. She quickly climbed up through her broken rear window, her hands cut themselves against some of the broken glass, but her body either didn't register the pain due to the adrenaline pumping through her veins, or she really didn't give a shit at the moment.

Her arms quickly wrapped themselves around my neck and not a moment too soon, because a rumble shook through the highway I was latched onto, which caused the blade I had lodged into the woman's car to jerk out, the sedan falling towards the ground below. A small explosion sending hot air blasting up into our faces as I started to have my wires pull myself and the woman I saved back up onto the highway.

The instant I was on solid ground again I fell right on my ass. Strained breaths travelled through my lunges as the adrenaline started to leave my body. Sadly the lack of adrenaline also increased the amount of pain I felt in my arms, and I definitely think I tore something in my left arm at the very least. A large exhale escaped my lips, breaking my rough breathing patterns from before. I guess I should be relieved that the extent of my injuries from my hastily put together rescued only did that much to me.

"You saved me."

My head turned towards the woman I just rescued. She had chestnut hair that reached her shoulders, and blue eyes. A simple sundress clung to her slim body, and her cheeks were flushed slightly due to the near death experience she just encountered.

"Yeah, I guess I did," I managed to breathe out, looking her in the eye.

The woman's eyes darted back and forth, and her fingers fidgeted with themselves. "Why? I know who you are, you're the Blue Hawk, the man that just started to work with Roman Torchwick. I know you don't have a horrible reputation outside of that bu-"

"I saved you simply because it was the right thing to do," I interrupted, my gaze capturing hers behind my mask. "I may be a crook, but I don't think of myself as evil. You got dragged into a conflict that you had no part of, so like hell was I just going to let you fall to your death. Those Huntsmen and Huntresses in training didn't stop to help you. I may not be a Huntsman, and being a criminal may make it seem as if I shouldn't care about others..." My voice softened. "I hate involving those that should be left to their own peace, you didn't chose to be part of a conflict, why should you needlessly be dragged into one?"

I pushed myself back up onto my own two feet, I've given myself enough time to rest. The pain in my arms weren't going to subside today anyways, and I still needed to help Roman, and then I needed to beat the shit out of him.

Seeing that the woman I saved had nothing more to say, I started running towards the direction of the sounds of combat. But another sound filled my ears, something I was not expecting one bit.

"My name is Hana, thank you Blue Hawk!"

A smile emerged on my face, that last thing I was expecting was to be thanked. I was a known criminal. It felt good, and strangely enough it left me feeling warm inside. "You're welcome, Hana," I whispered. The words left my lips just as I rapelled down the highway. My eyes resting on Roman, who was dusting off his suit and the remains on the newly destroyed Atlesian Paladin. Those responsible for Roman's defeat was none other than team RWBY. Sun who was with Blake at the beginning of the chase was nowhere to be seen which I found odd, but now to the real issue. Roman was alone against four girls training to become Huntresses and he obviously lost the mech. I was already low on aura due to my rescue stunt earlier and I have no clue how Roman is doing on that front as well. I did have one thing going for me, and that was the element of surprise. I was currently rappelling behind the four girls of team RWBY and they have yet to notice me, which may give me the initiative I need to stall out this shitty situation long enough for Neo to come get us.

My feet touched the ground, and I instantly made my move. I extended my right arm out, the wires in my vambrace extending towards a certain girl in white. The slight "eep" that emerged from her lips was all her teammates heard before I reeled her in towards me and my hand clasped around her face, smashing the side of her head into a nearby pillar, once, twice, and right before I was able to finish bashing the heiress' head into the stone pillar for a third time to insure she stayed out of the fight I was forced to step back and release the pale girl to avoid getting sliced by Ruby's scythe. The girl was fast, I was informed of her speed semblance by Roman's reports but it still came as a surprise.

"Weiss, are you okay?!" Ruby asked, concern in her eyes as she held Weiss in her arms, shaking her gently as the white haired girl clutched her head in pain. If my arms weren't so fatigued from earlier I probably could have knocked her out in those two hits. Concussive force has always been the best way to incapacitate someone while their aura was still up, no matter what. I transformed both of NightWing's blades into their pistol variation, my sights trained on the two girls. A couple shots will definitely take down the Ice Queen, and it will at least whittle down Ruby a little.

A salvo of rounds bombarded my position forcing me to seek cover behind an adjacent pillar. While Ruby may have been distracted by her partner's well being the other two teammates of team RWBY were covering their leader, and Yang looked especially pissed about my sneak attack. Her eyes were red instead of their normal lilac and her hair looked as if it was on fire. Anime rule number sixty-four, don't fuck with people that are glowing. This might not be an anime, but I'm pretty sure the rule still applies.

"So you're the Blue Hawk? How about you get over here so I can break that mask, and your face while I'm at it," I heard Yang growl.

I leaned around the corner, and fired a couple rounds in her direction. The blonde dodged the majority of my dust rounds and the ones that did hit her didn't look as if they did shit, which was very worrying for me. I was forced under cover again to avoid getting a cap in my face from Blake.

"Yang, Blake, Bumblebee!"

That sounded a lot like Ruby, and what the hell was Bumblebee supposed to be? A loud whistle was my only indicator to move the hell away, diving out of the way before the pillar I was behind shattered behind the force of Yang's fist.

"For Oum's sake, how is that even fair!" I growled out as rubble from the stone pillar battered my body as I rolled back onto my feet. Looking up I saw Yang's fist already en route toward my face, and I didn't have enough aura to recover from a punch that was able to demolish a stone pillar. The only way I could avoid the attack would be using my semblance, but I was under strict orders from Cinder to not use it while acting as the Blue Hawk.

'To hell with her orders right now,' I was about to blink out of harm's way, but an explosive dust round made contact with Yang's left side, causing her to tumble past me. I looked in the direction the shot came from, and Roman was standing there smugly, Melodic Cudgel sights pointed towards Yang's former position.

"Look who's saving who now, Blue Hawk," Romach chuckled.

My eyes rolled instinctively at Roman's comment. I have to give him the assist, but I'm still pissed as all hell at him. But I repay my debts, I'll hit him one less time later, when I beat the shit out of him for this shit storm he became a part of. Movement was noticed out of the corner of my eye, and a black blur dashed towards Roman.

"Roman, Kittycat inbound!"

The thief raised his cane up in a hasty block, but it was enough to stop him from taking a direct hit, soon enough he was trading Blake blow for blow. "Well, someone seems like they want a rematch, upset you couldn't take me down at the docks?" Roman teased.

I considered helping him out, but I had bigger problems. Yang has picked herself up off the ground, and was looking as pissed as ever. I really didn't want to take my chances with the brawler, but Roman was already occupied with Blake, and Ruby and Weiss were… Where were they? My eye's quickly roamed across the battlefield in search of the red reaper and heiress and when I finally found them I was not pleased. Weiss was on her feet, her eyes trained on me, and the cold expression on her face told me she was livid. Ruby's eyes were scanning the field tactically. I had doubts about her leadership when I first saw heard she was the team leader, but she seems surprisingly calm in the face of combat.

"Weiss, help Yang, Blake looks like she needs some help so I'm going to help her. Your glyphs should provide Yang with the support she needs to take down that guy fast. He seems tired for some reason, but we can use that," Ruby ordered. Weiss nodded her head and used her semblance to create what I assumed to be a speed based glyph under her, which sent her skating at me.

Now that I had the chance to see Weiss in combat, I could definitely see that she's a duelist, her speciality lies in one on one encounters, and her glyphs provide her with the edge she needed to constantly adapt against her opponents. I bent my back, evading a stab at my chest, and used the momentum to flip over, kicking the rapier away before she could continue her attack. She let loose a small growl before pressing her attack, but this time I was ready, and was able to block or parry all her strikes. I did have one advantage over the Schnee heiress and that was I had two blades versus her one. A swift thrust came at my face but I was hoping for that. Raising up one blade I applied enough force to keep Weiss' rapier from hitting me, but not enough to fully knock her away. I slid myself forward, NightWing grinding against the length of the rapier the whole length. My left hand flipped NightWing's other blade into a reverse grip.

Weiss' eyes opened up as the next moment I was right in her face, mere centimeters separating us. My hands tightened around the hilts of my weapon.

Another weak point that a rapier has is that it's primarily a thrusting weapon, sure it could be used to slash and cut as well, but that's not where it's strengths lie, the weapon's design makes it significantly less effective in more extreme close quarters combat, where NightWing's length excel. The blade in my left hand danced along the heiress' body, curving along the sides of her body before I pushed her rapier away, throwing her off balance, and delivering a jumping back kick right into her chest, sending her sprawling on the ground.

I was about to make a mad dash at the white haired girl to make sure she stayed out of the fight, but an annoying flaming haired bimbo had to interrupt me yet again. She came from behind me, but she didn't even try to be sneaky about it. I was able to hear her footsteps well before she reached and turned to face Yang just as one of her fists made it's way to my solar plexus.

"You're an annoying shit you know that? I thought Roman was bad but for Oum's sake stand still and let me hit you!" Yang yelled at me, as she sent punch after punch my way. I could feel the air move past my face with each punch, this girl's strength really wasn't fair.

"I don't want to hear you say I'm worse than that tacky guy from four ignorant girls who don't know what the fuck they're doing!" I retorted with a snarl. I threw a hand backwards, and let loose a thread of wire which wrapped around one of the remaining pillars, which pulled me backwards as I fired a salvo of rounds at Yang who responded with her own flurry of shells.

I risked a quick glance towards Roman, and saw he wasn't doing much better than me. Ruby and Blake had him backed into a corner as the two agile fighters timed their attacks to force Roman on a constant defense. All in all we were approaching our limits. Where was Neo when you needed her?

Yang came at me once more, a wild right hook forced me to duck under her punch and roll behind her, but what I saw at the end of my roll caused me to gasp. A trail of ice emerged from Weiss' rapier and I could tell from the cheeky smile on her face that she was revelling in the fact I fell for their trap. I tried to get myself out of the way, but I was just too slow and my legs were entrapped in the ice summoned by Weiss. This was exactly why I wanted to take her out of the fight in the first place. Yang walked up next to Weiss a smile of victory on her face as she cracked her knuckles.

"Now I think it's about time we see what's under that mask." Yang shot herself forwards using the momentum from her gauntlets to giver herself more force. I knew I was done for if I got hit by that, but unlike the last time where my only option was to use my semblance to evade her I didn't have the option to blink away due to the ice which trapped my legs. I did have another option though due to having the time to actually ready myself for her attack. It was going to require precise timing, and if I messed up I was screwed.

The wires within my vambraces loaded up, and was ready to act immediately when I needed them. Yang's right fist was approaching fast, but as it came closer and closer I felt more and more ready. The moment I could feel the air displacing around my face I acted. Both of my hands shot up and the wires in both of my vambraces created a small net in front of my face. A very cocky smile emerged on my face as Yang's face contorted into one of surprise and then anger for falling into my trap. Once I felt the tension in the wire build up I immediately yanked my hands down, redirecting Yang's punch towards the ice which covered my legs.

Suffice to say, the ground below me exploded, and I was sent flying into the air, and when I came down I hit the ground, hard. A gasp of pain left my throat as I hit the ground and felt the rest of my aura leave me. I tried to push myself back up onto my feet but my left arm gave out under me and a wave of pain surged through my body. I barely restrained myself from crying out in pain, biting into my cheeks to keep myself from opening my mouth. The taste of iron invaded my mouth.

I felt someone pick me up and hoist my right arm around their shoulder. Looking up I saw it was Roman who was looking at me with, dare I say it… concern?

"It's alright kid, you did good. The cavalry is here," the crook told me, a familiar smile worming its way onto his face.

Roman could only mean one thing by cavalry, I looked forward and sure enough Neo was standing in front of the both of us. Parasol in hand, twisting it around like the team of four in front of her was no big deal. Team RWBY were now standing next to each other, their gazes stern as they looked at the three of us.

"You definitely took your sweet time, you just had to wait until after we got our asses handed to us to come swooping in didn't you, Neo?"

Neo looked back and gave me a soft smile, but her eyes held concern as she looked upon me. I must have looked like a mess. Her head turned back so fast towards at the four girls that were across from us I almost missed the evil glint in Neo's eyes as she focused her attention upon them. I almost flinched at the killing intent that oozed out of the small girl. Neo was no longer in 'happy, teasing, eat ice cream' mode. She was getting ready to murder the four girls.

"Neo," I called out, which caused the girl to momentarily stop the sadistic aura she was releasing. "Let's just go, there's no need for us to be here any more." Neo frowned, but upon looking into my eyes she gave me a brief nod, and bowed towards team RWBY. The moment she did I felt the air shift around us, and once my mind finally processed what happened I was on a bullhead with Neo and Roman, heading towards who knows where.

Roman placed me down along one of the sides of the bullhead, and stood next to Neo as the tri-colored girl knelt down next to me and pulled my mask off my face. A smooth hand caressed my cheek, and I couldn't help myself from burying my face in its warmth for just a moment. My eyes closed in contentment at Neo's concern for my wellbeing.

"Alright, alright. Enough flirting you two, you're going to make me gag." Roman's voice filled my ears, reminding me of something I else I needed to do.

I opened my eyes once Neo's hand left my face, a small dust of pink on her pale cheeks as she puffed them out, and pouted at Roman. A soft chuckle escaped my lips, and I pushed myself back into a standing position, and made my way towards Roman.

The orange haired man was about to light another cigar when I walked up to his face.

"Look Athrun, you need to rest, and I really want to smoke, so how about-"

My left fist connected square in his face knocking the man into the side of the bullhead, a loud clang ringing in the confines of the space we occupied. Pain traveled through my fist up into my shoulder but I really didn't give a shit at the moment. My left hand grabbed onto Roman's white suit and I kept him against the wall of the bullhead. I expected the man to retaliate but I must have had some really fierce look in my eyes because he just stood there. Even though the hand I was holding him with was shaking. Neo started to pull her blade out of her umbrella, but here eye's kept on travelling between Roman and I, unsure of what to do.

"I can't fucking believe you had the audacity to lecture me about this Adam guy and then you ran off in a damn mech suit onto a highway knocking everyone in your way all over the road. Do you even know how many people were injured because you had to chase after those two faunus? One person's car you sent flying into the air went over the end of the highway, I risked my life saving the person!" I shouted in his face, my right hand ready to send the hardest punch I could muster in my current state, which sadly probably wouldn't be that hard.

"Did you expect me to just let them go after they listened in on our rally? They learned things while they were there Athrun, it's a security breach," Roman responded calmly, his usual joking and condescending tone of voice not present.

"Yes. No. I really don't know. Did they really learn that much? All they know is there is a base in the south east, that's pretty vague. What can they do with that knowledge?" I looked into Roman's eyes trying to get him to understand where I'm coming from. My grip on his suit jacket loosened and I shoved him away. "I'm just angry, partially at you because of your reckless behavior when you chased after them, at first that's what pissed me off the most, but after really thinking about it I should have expected that from you. You're a true high-end criminal." If my comment bothered Roman he didn't let it show, I really don't think it affected the man at all, he could probably tell I was just venting at this point.

I punched the wall of the bullhead with my right hand, my left hand was hurting way too much right now. "The people I'm really pissed at are those kids training to become Huntsmen, the protectors of the people, they're supposed to be heroes. And do you know what the hell they did? They ran into an area crowded with civilians with a war machine chasing after them. How fucking stupid could they be? Did they just not care?! Again, I had to save that woman that was falling to her death, not a Huntsman, and I'm supposed to be one of the bad guys for fucks sake!"

My breathing was heavy and erratic but I said what I wanted to say and slowly, ever so slowly I could feel my breathing return to normal and my body calmed down as the shaking in my hands slowed down.

"Athrun." I looked up at Roman and saw him wipe the cheek I slugged. "I'm not going to say this ever again but I actually respect you a little bit more now. If your situation was just a little different I could definitely see you being a true Huntsman, and honestly I would much rather have you on my side than with those goody-two-shoes. Your skillset makes you a real pain in the ass to fight. And I'm sure you know this but I am a villain, those people I knocked around in the Paladin didn't mean anything to me. I lie, steal, cheat, and survive. Those are the words I live by. However Athrun, what makes you, me, and Neo different than your typical run of the mill crook is that we have a code we stand by and follow." Roman placed a hand on my shoulder. "Your code is one of the most foolhardy and retarded things I have ever heard. You're trying to be something in between a criminal and a decent human being. Almost like that Robin Hood guy from that one fairy tale. I have never in my entire life as a crime lord seen someone stand by and fight for a code like the one you follow, hell I thought it would be impossible, but you're doing it. That's one of the things that makes you likeable yet makes you so infuriating. So don't change Athrun." Roman finished, and then the thief smiled, before he buried his fist into my gut.

"That's payback for the punch from earlier, we're even now," he said.

I stumbled back clutching my stomach, the pain in my arms, and now the pain flowing through my core taking over my senses.

"Yeah, we're even now." I choked out.

Both of us turned to look at Neo who was confused as to what to do during our small scuffle, but now her face was beaming with joy, her white eyes showing as she walked up to the both of us and forced us into a group hug. Roman and I quickly glanced at each other unsure of what to do. The two of us may have had a moment, not that kind of moment, but we sure as hell didn't want to hug. We looked down at Neo and seeing her content face gave in and awkwardly added our arms in the group hug. An unspoken message was conveyed between the two of us.

'Just this once for Neo, and never again.'

* * *

A/N: Fight scenes always make me nervous because I find myself to be just passable in writing them, but I felt like this one turned out okay. We got to see more into Athrun's line of thinking and there will definitely be some issues once he returns to Beacon. Not anything big, but some minor confrontations. Please leave your thoughts in the review section or shoot me a PM. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

"Holy shit, you look like you've been run over by a car." Mercury gave me one more look over. "Maybe two cars actually."

"That's not exactly what happened, but it definitely involved a car," I quipped back. A sudden sharp sting surged through my left arm.

"Not that I'm complaining on purpose, but could you please be a little more gentle, Em?" I managed to grind out through clenched as Emerald changed the bandages on my left arm. Neo had noticed that my left arm was bleeding in the middle of our group hug on the bullhead, I still can't believe that actually happened, I really don't know how to feel about it.

"Can it, I'm only doing this because Cinder told me to. I thought all of your training with Neo would have made you a competent fighter by now. Being this badly injured due to some first years? I'm really starting to doubt your ability," my fellow thief retorted, as she finished my patch up and moved over towards her own bed.

That comment caused a frown to form on my face, I didn't get this badly injured due to team RWBY after all. "It wasn't Red and her band of do gooders that did this Emerald, Mercury was more on the mark when he said I got ran over by a car."

That just caused me to receive some raised eyebrows, even Cinder was staring at me from her place on her bed.

"Okay, I didn't actually get hit by a car, I just stopped one from plummeting to its doom," I elaborated. It didn't seem to help the stares I was receiving, either.

"Athrun, tell me, why did you find it necessary to stop this car?" Cinder asked me, her eyes honed in on me, and it felt like she was trying to burn me with her gaze, knowing her powers she probably could. She didn't look pissed, but I could tell she wasn't very happy.

"It's simple, someone was going to die and I had the capability to stop a needless death. I don't feel like I should have to justify my actions," I retorted, my gaze meeting Cinder's burning eyes. I knew she could fry me up in an instant, and I respected her power, but I have my own code that I follow, she knew that. Despite her annoyance, Cinder's eyes had a slight gleam to them when she noticed I wasn't going to back down immediately.

It was at this moment Mercury decided to butt into our staredown. "Alright you two, calm down, Athrun may have gotten hurt, but he made it back relatively okay and nobody got arrested, the plan is still safe and in motion. So no need to make a big deal out of this, right?" Mercury suggested. I could feel the small waves of anxiety roll off of him. Emerald was staring at Mercury like he sprouted another head as if the notion of speaking in my defense was akin to suicide. Actually, with the tension in the air practically sharp enough to cut someone it just might be tantamount to suicide. Mercury was really putting his neck out to try and defuse this situation.

Cinder turned her gaze onto Mercury, and my silver haired friend didn't flinch visibly, but I had no doubt he was sweating bullets on the inside. "And what would you do if something did go wrong Mercury? How would you decide to rectify the issue?"

"Simple, I would eliminate the cause of the issue. Disposing of our problems is what I do best after all." Mercury's gaze turned ice cold and his eyes left Cinder's to meet mine. I knew he was trying to help me earlier by interjecting himself into the argument but the look in his eyes is that of a professional killer, something I'm well aware that Mercury is. The hidden message in his gaze and words were clear. If I truly cause a problem then Mercury will be forced to kill me.

The fire behind Cinder's gaze seemed to have died a little at Mercury's proclamation. "Very well, as long as everyone understands the consequences then I will let this mishap slide this time, but Athrun listen to what I'm about to tell you." My attention returned to Cinder, her admittedly nice legs crossing over each other. "I'm sure you understood Mercury's implication correct?"

I nodded my head in confirmation

"Good, because if I am to be honest I wouldn't want him to kill you. You two are friends after all, and your particular skillset is quite useful."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her comment, I've heard this before.

"But you must understand Athrun, that for us the mission comes first. I know perfectly well about your 'morals', however, I will not have those morals jeopardise what has taken years for me to prepare and accomplish, so next time you feel the need to play 'hero' remember who we are. We are not heroes, for all intents and purposes we are criminals, thieves, murderers." In a very surprising burst of speed Cinder appeared right before my face. "Do I make myself clear?"

Part of me wanted to hide, but I couldn't afford to show weakness, Cinder is like a hawk, and she would use any weakness I can give her. I respect her, but I know Cinder isn't above getting rid of me if I fail to prove my usefulness, she brought me into this group, this family, she can easily cut me out of it as well. "Crystal clear," I responded, a satisfied smirk appeared on the ravenette's face.

"But."

That one word replaced Cinder's smirk, with a very small frown.

"All I know is that you are planning on changing the world, but how? You want me to work for you and do missions for you, and I honestly want to do it, but it's hard to fight for a cause that I don't know all the details for," I explained. I wanted some answers, it's been sometime since I've first joined Cinder's group and I deserve to know something.

Glances were shared between Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. I would have crossed my arms in a show of impatience, but with the bandages on my left arm being fresh, irritating the injury probably wouldn't be a good idea.

"You admittedly have a point Athrun. You do deserve to know at least a little more of what we are after. Emerald will explain," Cinder informed me.

Emerald didn't look too pleased with the job just assigned to her if the slight grumble that escaped her lips was anything to go by. "Listen here, because I refuse to repeat myself. I'm sure you remember when we mentioned how Ironwood was going to be arriving in Vale."

I waved my hands to get her to continue with the explanation, I remember clearly, because it was another snippet of info that I wasn't told.

My fellow thief's teeth grit together slightly in irritation. "Yes, well Ironwood is the General of the Atlas military and he's also the leader of his Kingdom's Huntsmen academy. The man has an absurd amount of power, power that can easily be abused and has been abused."

"Atlas, as a whole, definitely does not have a clean record," I admitted, starting to have an idea as to where this might be leading.

"Exactly," Emerald said with a raised hand. "Atlas is also home to the Schnee Dust Company, the largest supplier of Dust in all the Kingdom's. Typically that little detail wouldn't matter too much, but with the SDC being located in a heavily militarized Kingdom we have reason to believe they are mobilizing on an even larger scale as a show of force. What Cinder wants to do is show the other Kingdoms the corruption in Atlas as well as change the system to better serve people like us."

Emerald's gaze softened, taking an almost vulnerable look. I know she can be quite the actress. It was originally going to be her job to interact with the other students and gather information before I kind of took it upon myself to do so.

"Cinder is fighting to make a better place for people like us Athrun, people who were forgotten and abandoned by the current system. Ever since Cinder found me, I finally belonged somewhere, I no longer have to worry about what I need to try and steal anymore, no longer have to worry about how I'm supposed to feed myself or where I'm supposed to sleep. I know I haven't been the kindest person to you," Emerald had the decency to avoid eye contact and rub her arm a little in a show of embarrassment.

"She means total bitch when she says that by the way," Mercury coughed out, which earned him the bird from Emerald. Mercury sent a wink in her direction in response. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. These two really need to just have sex. Once they do they would actually have the best intimate relationship ever! All the signs are there… They just need to, well, do it.

"Mercury, I actually hate your guts, but yes, I am also apologizing for my rude behavior when it wasn't warranted. We come from similar backgrounds and survived using almost the exact same means. I know we haven't been the most forthcoming with you, but you are still new to our family. Mercury and I have been with Cinder for years and in the beginning we were only told what we needed to know. We've been there and know it can be frustrating, but can you trust us?" Emerald extended her hand out to me.

I waited a couple seconds and stared at her hand. I would have much rather have heard this from Cinder herself, also Emerald's slight annoyance in the beginning of her explanation makes me less inclined to believe her apology, but I can still appreciate it. What I can definitely believe to be true is Cinder's secretive nature, and Emerald's desire and reasoning to work for her. Emerald is a skilled liar, that is something I have no doubt of, but we do indeed have similar pasts in a way, and if there is one thing I don't think Emerald would lie about is her belief in Cinder. If she thinks Cinder's plans would help people like Emerald, Mercury, and I then that is her genuine belief.

My hand clasped down on Emerald's. "Fine, enough speeches and explanations for the night." I looked over at Cinder, my hand still holding Emerald's. "I also accept your reasoning and beliefs and I'll try not to endanger your objectives due to my beliefs. That doesn't mean I'm going to just let people die if I can save them, but I will weigh the consequences of such actions more carefully."

Cinder studied me for a second before smiling. "Well, it would seem that we have reached an understanding."

The tension that has been present dissipated almost instantly, and I realized my heartbeat started slowing down. I didn't even know when it sped up so much.

"Awesome, now that we're all good and on the same foot again, how about we hit the hay? I know I'm tired of all this talking, and I'm sure Athrun would love a good night's sleep after getting his left arm torn up and shit," Mercury suggested, wrapping an arm around my neck.

A sigh escaped my lips, but I couldn't help but agree. I was exhausted. I removed myself from Mercury, took off my shirt and fell face first on my bed.

"Before you fall asleep Athrun, with your current injuries will you be able to do your part during the dance this weekend?" Cinder inquired

As long as I get proper treatment for it, and my aura stays stable my left arm should definitely heal in time. It would be way more polite from me to vocalize my response, but sleep beckoned, and keeping it waiting would be oh so rude.

I gave Cinder a thumbs up as my answer before letting myself drift away in the warmth and comfort of my bed.

* * *

The rest of the week wasn't anything special. I received some questions about the bandages on my left arm from Team RWBY, JNPR, as well as Sun and Neptune. Their inquiry was easily satisfied by me telling them I had an accident while practicing with Dust. Weiss was the first to suggest me methods of treatment. She was the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company after all, and after observing her own usage of Dust during the escapade on the highway I wouldn't be surprised if she has had her own injuries while training with Dust.

That's not important right now though, what is important is that little bit of research that kitty cat seems to be doing. Emerald, Mercury, and everyone else was currently watching Pyrrha completely dismember Team CRDNL, I think they were called. A bunch of assholes, just getting what they deserved. I've seen them pick on some of the faunus students so I had no sympathy for the beatdown they were receiving. Anyways instead of watching her classmates, Blake was doing a bit of private investigation.

What was she researching? I'm glad you asked. Our resident faunus-in-hiding was trying to scrounge up information on me, or the Blue Hawk more specifically, Roman, and White Fang activity. Good luck on that Blake. If the Police haven't been able to get a read on our movements then I doubt she will find anything. She's also been more withdrawn as of late with her team as well. Good, my eyes traveled across the rest of Blake's team. I can use this to hopefully discourage them somewhat, that's something I've been needing to talk to Team RWBY about anyways.

"Congratulations Ms. Nikos, you should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

The combat instructor, Glynda, praised Pyrrha for her utter stomp over her opponents, which drew my attention back to the field.

"Class, I know that's a hard performence to one-up, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?"

In typical professor fashion, Glynda waited for about three seconds before she started scouting out for any potential participants, not giving any sort of ample time for someone to debate on whether they wanted to participate or not. The librarian cosplayer looked at me for a second, which I returned her gaze with a smile before she continued to scour for her chosen victim.

Eventually Glynda's stare rested on Blake. "Ms. Belladonna, you've been rather," she pushed her glasses up, "docile as of late. How about-"

"I'll do it!" Mercury interjected, right hand straight up in the sky, a look of utter nonchalance on his normally smug face.

"Mercury, was it? Very well, let's find you an opponent," Glynda looked down at her scroll to pick my friend's partner, but he had other plans.

"Actually, I would like to fight her!" Mercury stated, pointing at Pyrrha. I knew this was going to happen. Mercury has been tasked with scouting the competition and finding people of interest. Glynda tried to discourage the match from happening, but Pyrrha being such a good sport accepted his challenge anyways. Anyways, he has this under control.

I scooched myself closer to Red's team, "Hey girls, what's up?"

"Hey Athrun! Just watching Pyrrha and your teammate duke it out. He's really good you know," Ruby excitedly told me, before returning her attention to the match.

"Well that was a quick conversation," I muttered to Weiss, causing the heiress to slightly roll her eyes.

"Yes, well usually I would admonish Ruby for ending the conversation so quickly, but even I have to admit," Weiss zeroed in on the match down below, Mercury having just kicked off of Pyrrha's shield. "Your friend has done better than anyone else I've seen face Pyrrha."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, "I wouldn't have too much faith in him."

Weiss looked at me in shock, "Athrun! He's your teammate, you should believe in him."

"I forfeit," Mercury's voice rang throughout the arena.

Weiss' mouth dropped open, her eyes followed Mercury as he left the arena. I had to resist the urge to place a finger under her chin and close her mouth, but it's obvious that she wouldn't appreciate that.

"Why did he surrender? His aura was still in the green and it looked as if he was finally getting a read on Pyrrha. Ugh! That is just frustrating to watch." Weiss practically screeched.

A couple chuckles escaped my lips at Weiss' reaction, even though her outburst could have ruptured my eardrums. It was nice to see that Weiss had the decency to look embarrassed as I rubbed my ears.

"Sorry Athrun."

I waved a hand her way, letting her know it was no big deal, "Don't worry about it. Mercury's antics used to annoy me and my teammates but we got used to it over time. He's just really lazy and loses interest relatively fast."

The rest of the class around us stood up and we moved out of our seats to follow. I sent a look at Mercury and Emerald, a brief nod from them informed me that I could do what I want. Perfect, time to shit on some beliefs.

"Yo Weiss, wait up!" I picked up my pace and was soon standing next to the heiress.

"Athrun? Do you not need to be with your team?"

"Nah, I don't know if I've told you, but Emerald and Mercury are dating, so she's about to take him with her to get their clothes for the dance this weekend. I kind of don't want to butt into their time," I lied.

"Well that's very honourable of you, I'm sure they appreciate it," Weiss said with a small smile.

Yang came up beside me and lightly tapped my shoulder. "Yeah Blue, super cool of you to do that for your friends, now if only we could get a certain black haired teammate of our own to realize the dance is a good idea and that she shouldn't be obsessing so much over some issues right now."

Is 'Blue' supposed to be a nickname? It's kind of funny how close that nickname is to my actual moniker. Now time for the play dumb card and ask what's wrong, good plan Athrun.

"First of all 'Blue'? What kind of nickname is that? Also what is going on with Blake? She's been really out of it, and even more withdrawn than normal." Pointing behind me at the grumpy cat faunus that was walking off, away from the rest of her group of friends. I don't know when, but Sun ended up walking up to her, trying to talk to her and possibly ask her to the dance, but from the slightly down look on his face, whatever happened didn't end well.

"Well, you have deep blue hair, and it's short, sweet, and to the point. I almost gave the name to Neptune, but we don't like him as much as you. Sure, he almost wooed the Ice Queen here..." Yang nudged Weiss.

"Hey!"

"But since you pointed out his playboy nature Weiss was able to see through his cool persona. So you get the name instead, congrats," the blonde stated, straightening her back.

I shrugged, just accepting the name. "Cool, cool, so can we get on with what's up with Blake?"

"Yeah, umm, the thing is…" Yang started to play with her golden lockes, trading glances with Weiss and Ruby who decided to finally zone into the conversation. "It's not really something we can just share with anyone, sorry Blue."

Okay, I guess it won't be that easy. Let's see how I can work with this.

"Well, going off of the fact that Blake didn't get more more moody until after the night your whole team, as well as Sun and Neptune all left Beacon in a suspicious manner, I'm just going to have to go off on a whim and say that has something to do with it."

Gauging the shocked reactions on the trio's face my on the spot statement may have worked, or it could land me in another session of questions with Yang. Maybe both.

"How do you know we left Beacon earlier this week?" Ruby asked me, a slight glint of nervousness present in her eyes.

"Well, other than the fact if all of your faces didn't already confirm it for me, your statement just now definitely did," I said, flicking Ruby's nose, which caused the younger girl to rub it.

"TEAM HUDDLE!" Ruby called out. The red reaper then grabbed Yang, and Weiss and then sped off somewhere with her semblance. It only took a couple seconds for her and her abducted teammates to return to me.

Ruby zipped to my side, and placed a hand to my ear. "Alright Athrun, team RWBY has decided to trust you with some pivotal information."

"But you have to promise not to tell anyone, this is really important," Weiss interjected

"I promise not to tell anyone, but if this is as important as you all are making it seem, maybe we should take this conversation back to your dorm room," I suggested to the white haired girl before I gently pushed Ruby away from my ear, it's kind of hard to believe that this is the same team that's been a constant thorn in our operations at times.

"How bold of you, asking yourself into the room of three maidens. If I didn't know better I would think you have other things on your mind."

The facepalm happened instinctively.

"Yang! Athrun has shown himself to be gentleman thus far, there is no need for your innuendos," Weiss hissed as she marched up to the blonde brawler. Yang managed to say something to the heiress that caused her pale cheeks to blush a little before she was called a dolt in return.

"Umm, what's wrong with you coming to our room?"

I glanced over to my left and saw Ruby, utterly confused as to what her sister and Weiss started arguing about. The girl might be fifteen, but she can't be this innocent. Most people learned about these kind of suggestive comments in their pre-teen years. However, looking into Ruby's silver eyes I was able to see genuine confusion. It baffled me.

"Don't worry about it, let's just hurry up and catch up with them."

* * *

"So let me get this straight, your team, including Sun and Neptune decided it would be a good idea to meddle in the affairs of a notorious crime lord and a skilled thief that somehow has the backing of the White Fang behind him."

Three heads nodded in confirmation.

"This is because you have had run ins with Roman Torchwick and the Blue Hawk in the past, and because you wanted to bring them to justice."

"Well yeah, shouldn't it be the job of Huntsmen and Huntresses to bring peace and protect the people?" Ruby pointed out, which caused her to receive a soft smile from her older sister and even Weiss.

I'm actually going to feel a little bad when I start shitting on what they did on the highway, they genuinely want to help, and feel like they are. However, such naivete is going to get them nowhere except an early grave. Well, here it goes.

"I feel like you girls are trying to do something very honourable," A couple more nods were given to me. "But, how you're going about accomplishing this is irresponsible and stupid."

And, those smiling faces, morphed into confusion and in Yang's case, anger.

"Hey, what gives? How can you say something like that, we're just trying to help!" Yang growled out, her eyes flashing that dangerous red color.

I lifted both hands in a peaceful gesture, "I'm not trying to offend any of you. You were all honest with me so I am returning that courtesy," My gaze hardened. "Tell me, did any of you girls watch the news the following morning?"

A couple shared glances between the three girls informed me that they haven't, perfect. I pulled out my scroll and opened up a clip I saved.

The clip was from news footage released to the public the day after the highway confrontation. The images of the destroyed highway, the toppled over cars, and the injured civilians crawling out of their destroyed vehicles, some of them being driven off in ambulances, got their attention. The shock and horror on their faces almost made me put away my scroll, but I had to do this. Maybe this could get them to stop interfering with our plans. I won't be able to stop Roman from putting a bullet in their cute faces forever.

Time for the icing on the cake. I didn't expect this next segment to actually make it on the broadcast, in fact I was positive the broadcast station would have tried to edit this part out. On the screen of my scroll was Hana, the girl I saved from falling to her death.

"Ms. Hana, you said your life was saved the day of this incident. Could you tell us what happened?" A reporter asked Hana on screen.

She looked nervous in regards as to what she was going to say, and for good reason. She was about to speak in favor of a wanted criminal.

"First off I would like to say that I swear by Oum that what I'm about to say is the truth." Hana took a deep breath. "When mayhem was tearing apart the highways of Vale it wasn't a Huntsman nor a Huntress that came to my rescue as death stared at me dead in the eye."

My eyes traveled to the three girls that were gazing intently at my scroll, curiosity obviously present.

"My life was saved by someone who has quickly become more notorious in the eyes of the people. It was the Blue Hawk that saved me."

"WHAT?!" Yang screeched out, but I quickly lifted a finger to my mouth to silence her, and she reluctantly kept watching.

"As my car was sent flying by that war machine I saw several Huntress and I believe a Huntsman or two continue in hot pursuit of the weapon, but as my car went over the edge of the barrier protecting the roads I prayed that one of them would come back to save me. None of them did, instead it was a man on Vale's wanted list who risked his own life to save mine when he could have easily let me die."

The anger permeating from Yang's body slowly changed to guilt, Weiss was looking anxious, and Ruby looked like a kicked puppy. The video wasn't even over yet.

Hana's gaze hardened as she stared into the camera filming her. "At first I couldn't believe it myself. I was saved by a wanted criminal. I even asked him why he saved me, and do you know what he said? He said, ' _I saved you because it was the right thing to do,_ ' those were the words that came out of his mouth. The Blue Hawk told me that I was dragged into a conflict that didn't involve me, so why should I have to die for it? Those words confirmed it for me," Hana then smiled softly at the camera.

"The Blue Hawk may be a criminal, but at heart he's a good man. If you're listening to this, thank you for saving my life, I'll forever be in your debt." The broadcast cut off with that final smile.

"Does she even know what she's saying? The guy's a crook, one of the bad guys. How can she say he's a, good man. Was she even listening to herself." Yang ranted, however her heart wasn't in it, her eyes were still a lilac blue.

"Yang that's enough!" Weiss bit out, causing one of my brows to perk up. "In a way that woman Hana was right. I loathe to admit it, but we were so absorbed in what we were doing, thinking we were helping, that we ignored the citizens that were dragged into the conflict around us." The heiress' hands grasped onto her combat skirt, she was clenching the cloth hard enough that her already pale knuckles turned a shade whiter. "We have a duty to protect the good people of Vale, and all we managed to accomplish was destruction. We're in over our heads."

It surprised me that Weiss was the first one to realize what I was trying to get across to them.

"But none of this would have happened if Roman, the Blue Hawk, and the White Fang weren't trying to stir up trouble," Yang countered,

"But would any of that destruction have happened if all of you hadn't decided to intervene? This could have all been avoided Yang!" I retorted, Oum please convince me not to punch her in the face right now.

Yang stood up and approached me. "Then would you rather have us let people like Roman, and the Blue Hawk run free and cause havoc?"

I've been stared down by much scarier people blondie, good luck. "What part of this could have all been avoided do you not understand, and based off of that newsclip, it's the Blue Hawk that's saving lives, and he might not even be a bad guy," I countered as I stood up, refusing to let Yang be above me.

"What? Are you sympathizing with them? Whose side are you on? We told you this because we thought you would understand!" Yang's fists started to ball into fists, but I continued to stare her down.

My gaze was unwavering. "I am just stating facts Yang, I never said who's in the wrong or right, what I'm trying to say is-"

"That we should think and be more cautious before we act, we might say that we're trying to save and others but if our actions bring destruction then what are we even fighting for?" Ruby interrupted, her usually cheerful demeanor replaced with an air of seriousness.

I've seen it during the battle at the highway, but it's still surprising to see that this fifteen year old girl truly has the makings of a good leader. This will be a good lesson for her, and hopefully I won't have to fight them anymore after this. Their naivete may be frustrating, but they're all nice girls.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say." My attention returned to Yang, the girl having calmed down after her little sister's interruption, but she was still staring daggers at me. They were just less sharp now. "Look, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying trying to help people is wrong. Just be careful with how you do it. You're still students, and first years at that. I don't know how you got the information to find Roman, the Blue Hawk, and the Fang," actually I do, "but if you informed the local police then possibly all of this could have been avoided."

Yang stared at me with her arms crossed for a couple seconds before she let out a deep sigh and relaxed. "Fine, I guess you have a point. Sorry for wanting to bash your face in just now."

"Hehe, no problem I guess?" Seriously, how do I respond to that?

"Also, I guess I could have been a bit more gentle in how I wanted to get this message across. I just consider all of you my friends and I don't want to see any of you get needlessly hurt if it can be avoided. Just be careful, and think before you act is all I'm trying to say. Anyways, I should get going."

The three girls in the room nodded at me as I stood up to make my exit, hopefully I won't have to worry about them meddling anymore, oh wait. "Make sure you tell Blake what I said, too. She seems like she's obsessing too hard over this, and although it's a serious situation it can't be good for her. I hope one of you can make her come around."

Noticing how Yang's lips curled up into a mischievous grin I'm guessing that at least she had a plan.

"Don't worry Athrun, I'll get her to that dance."

That's good to hear, Cinder needed me to do something during the dance and gathering all detrimental factors in one area will make my job easier. I waved at the three girls, and with a wide smile left them to their own devices.

I intended on heading back to my team's room, and I was just passing through the campus courtyard but it seemed as if my day wasn't quite done yet.

"Athrun wait up!"

Looking over my shoulder, imagine my surprise when it was Weiss Schnee that called out to me as she jogged to catch up to me. Me eye's checked my surroundings, but to my surprise I noticed the usually busy courtyard was empty. Yes, classes were over, so the reasons to be out and about for students at this hour is practically nonexistent, but it still got my nerves working. Did Weiss find something odd about our conversation in her team's room and is confronting me about it? Are her teammates hiding nearby in case something happens? Shit, I should have known that conversation worked in my favor way too easily. Calm down, act natural Athrun.

"Hey Weiss, what's going on? You seem out of breath. Did you run all the way to catch up to me?"

A slight dust of pink coated her pale cheeks at my question, but that could also be flush from the running she just did. The usually proud girl she presents herself as was replaced by a slightly more shy version if her posture was anything to go by. Her hands were behind her back, her eyes weren't meeting mine.

"Well first off, I don't feel like my team properly thanked you for your advice earlier today, so again, thank you. As a Schnee, I should have been able to realize the things you told our team."

Everything seems normal so far, but she said first off, what else does she want?

"I already said it wasn't a big deal, just trying to help out my friends. Is there anything else?"

Weiss looked down at the ground, before her eyes suddenly met mine,with new resolve that replaced the shyness that used to be present. Warning bells went off in my head, and I was about to use the Dust that Cinder helped me weave into my clothes to call forth my chakrams.

"Athrun Crocell, will you accompany me to the dance this weekend?"

My thought process stopped, and my hands relaxed in shock. What did she just say?!

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay, college is starting up once more and I'm tackling the infamous Organic Chemistry this semester. Pair that with my awful procrastination and it causes chapters to come out later. Still going to aim for at least one a month though. Let's see if I can actually manage that xP. Also if anyone has any questions or thoughts post them in the review section or send me a PM and I'll do my best to respond to them. In regards to the fact that Weiss asked Athrun to the dance, I would like to point out that Athrun has already swayed Weiss away from Neptune earlier in this story (no, I have no problems with NeptunexWeiss) and Weiss attraction to Neptune wasn't built on a strong basis by this point so having her attraction shift to Athrun isn't anything extreme. Hope you dear readers enjoyed the chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Did you just ask me to the dance?" My face contorted into a look of pure shock. I expected to hear a couple different things come out of the heiress' mouth, but being asked to the dance this weekend by Weiss Schnee of all people was definitely the last thing on my mind.

"I am sure your ears work properly, I refuse to repeat myself." Weiss' gaze shifted to the side away from my face. "It was already a little embarrassing for me to come running out here to ask you like I did. Yang is going to be teasing me enough about this so you could at least do me the service of giving me a proper response instead of looking like you saw me sprout another head, you dolt," she muttered, the faintest traces of a blush appearing on her face once more.

"I apologize, I was just genuinely surprised. When I saw that you were running towards me the last thing I expected was for you to ask me to the dance. You're Weiss Schnee, I'm pretty sure you could ask any guy to the dance, so why me?" I'm not actually dense enough to not know why she asked me. The answer is obvious, I've left a good impression on her over my occasional encounters with her and her team. However, I just want to make sure that there is no ulterior motive to her seemingly innocent request. At this point I'm almost positive there isn't. Her reactions thus far seem innocent and I don't think Weiss is the kind that would be able to fake a blush and try to trick me with some sort of silver tongue. She's just not that kind of person, even if she is the heiress to one of the most successful, if questionable, business empires in all of Remnant, Weiss prefers to be straight and direct with her opinions and wants. Better be safe than sorry, though.

A faint sigh escaped Weiss' lips."Do you know how many people approach me just because they think I am pretty, or because of my background? It's insulting, I don't want to associate myself with some guy just because of my status and because they think I have a cute face. I have standards that need to be met before I can find a man acceptable"

Oh?

It seems as if there is more to the Ice Queen than I thought. "So are you saying that I meet these standards? I feel honoured."

"Not all of them, not yet," a small smile graced Weiss' lips, "but you show enough of them for me to want to give you a chance."

I wonder if you would still think that if you ever found out who I really am? I'm sorry your interest lies in a liar and cheat like me, but I can't let a chance like this pass me by. "How could I refuse you with such a genuine confession?" I took a knee in front of her and grabbed hold of one of her small hands. "Weiss Schnee I would be honoured to accompany you to the dance this weekend." I told her with my best smile. The very faint blush that coated her cheeks deepened in color slightly, it was adorable.

"However, there is something you should know if you want me to be your date for the dance."

Weiss' brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't a sign of annoyance, but more a sign of curiosity.

"I hate to inform you that I may not be the most prompt person this weekend. Sadly, Cinder, my leader requires me to take care of some preparations for the Vytal Festival. It's going to be urgent for the success of our team in the competition. If you still wish to go with me then you should know that." I informed her. It wasn't technically a lie, just a half truth. I only left out the details that what I needed to accomplish is highly illegal.

My hopefully still date didn't look too happy about what I just told her. Her arms were crossed, and her right foot tapped the ground repeatedly, but even though she didn't seem pleased with these details, Weiss didn't look too angry which I hope is a good thing.

"That is… annoying, if I may be blunt." Weiss paused for a couple seconds, and I just waited for her to prepare what she wanted to say. From her standpoint she has to think about a couple of different factors. The most important one being, am I being genuine? Being the heiress to such a large economical empire means Weiss has a reputation to uphold. If she agrees to go to the dance with me after I told her I will be arriving late she has to worry about if I'm going to just stand her up. It would be a huge blow to her pride and reputation if she puts her trust in me and I don't even show, or show up with a different girl. Not that I would do either of course. Besides, I should be fine. If I was able to make a good enough impression to have the heiress seek me out then she should have a good enough opinion of me to hopefully have some trust in my words.

Weiss gaze was a little cold as she studied my face, but after my most recent staredown with Cinder I know enough not to back down from an authoritative stair if I wish to be taken seriously. Finally the ivory haired girl relaxed her gaze and sighed, her eyes rolled in their sockets before landing back onto me. Sassy.

"Ugh, fine. It does not seem like you're lying so I'll believe you. You deserve some trust for everything you have done."

Wonderful. "Thank you, it really means alot to me," I replied

"Think nothing of it. Like Ruby has told you before, the entire team considers you a friend. And what you told us today I think will make all of us better Huntresses in the long run. Ruby's taken it to heart, and Yang left to talk to Blake so she has that one handled. You've helped us more than you know in the short time we have known you, Athrun," Weiss informed me, her voice adopting a softer tone.

Ouch, pretty sure I felt a small bit of pain in my chest hearing that come from her mouth. All I've been doing has been for my group's own gains, I'm playing Weiss and her whole team and none of them even realize it. I forced myself to not frown upon her words, keeping my pleasant visage up. "Good to hear that Yang is taking care of the Blake issue right now, but if I'm to be frank, I wish to know more about what you think of me. Do you also see me as just a _friend_?"

I expected Weiss to be a little more shy at my question, or to stutter and act like one of those tsunderes that I've seen on several different animes, but to my surprise she didn't. Instead she smirked as if my question was a challenge.

"Well, I would not ask someone that I consider to be just a friend to such a public dance, I have already told you about my image after all," Weiss replied with ease.

"So if I'm not just a friend, then what am I to you then?" My voice, laced with false ignorance.

"Let's say this dance could be considered a test of sorts," Weiss stepped closer towards me and put a finger on my chest and looked me in the eyes. "A test to see if you're worthy of my time."

Shit, that was hot, or would it be cold in her case? I don't know. Hopefully the small blush forcing it's way onto my face isn't too noticeable, but judging from the gleam in her eyes she definitely saw it.

I moved my gaze away from Weiss smirking face, who knew she could play this sort of game? I definitely didn't. "Well we should exchange info on our scrolls. I'm going to want to find you at the dance when I get there."

Weiss moved to pull out her scroll, handing it to me while I gave her mine.

"Is that the only reason you want my information, Athrun?" Weiss questioned me as she handed my scroll back to me.

"Of course not," I handed the heiress her scroll, which she accepted gracefully. "I'm going to need a picture of your dress after all so I myself can grab the proper suit to match you. I don't know if you have noticed but those suits that are given to us by default are really _meh_. So I'm going to make sure we're the best looking pair at the dance," I finished, bringing my right fist up to my chest.

"Then you can expect a picture of my dress later tonight then." Weiss moved as if she was about to head back to her dorm room before turning around and giving me a small curtsy. "I expect to see you at the dance Athrun, I'll talk to you later."

I sent the heiress off with a smile and wave. "Sounds like a plan!"

Damn, this sucks. In most scenarios being asked to the dance by a girl who is probably one of the most desired females at Beacon would leave a guy in a good mood. The problem is, after interacting with Team RWBY I can definitely say they're good people. Naive, but good. My talk with them earlier led me to that conclusion, and that's the problem. Weiss is a nice girl and making sure that Team RWBY stops trying to interfere with our plans is one thing. Taking advantage of her feelings, just because I know ways it can be useful, is another. That's a new sort of low for me.

* * *

"Welcome back Athrun, you came back later than I thought you would. Having too much fun with that team of girls, you sly dog?" Mercury asked me, taking time away from whatever game he was playing on his scroll to greet me. Normally I would consider that to be a rare treat, now I could really care less.

I tried to smile at Mercury's joke, but I don't think it was very convincing if the look my silver haired friend shot at me was anything to go by. Mercury swung his legs off of the couch he was laying on and patted for me to sit next to him, putting his scroll away in the process. I took the spot beside him, no questions asked.

"What's got you down, were you not able to do whatever it was you were doing?"

My arms were thrown behind my head, as I leaned back into the couch in an attempt to unwind a bit. "Not really Merc, in fact everything went extremely well. I can actually say it might have gone too well."

"Details Athrun, how did things go _too well_? Did you get them off our back or not?" My silver haired friend persisted.

"I think so, I had a recording from the news report on the highway debacle and they seemed pretty caught up in all the damage that was caused. I also pointed out all the details in ways that made the question their own actions, which will hopefully cause them to think things through and leave us alone. Ruby and Weiss seemed to have understood my message pretty clearly. Ruby's sister Yang was a little more difficult, but I managed," I responded, beckoning for him to grab me a cola from the fridge, which Mercury did.

Mercury passed the cola to me. "Yang, she's the blonde with the big tits right? What about the faunus, were you able to get her off our back? According to you and Roman she's the most fanatical of them in all in wanting to force their way into our plans."

I popped the cap and took a deep swig from the can. The carbonated beverage did wonders for my throat. I never realized how thirsty I was after having to talk to Team RWBY and Weiss. Putting the can down, I focussed once more on my friend. "No need to worry about Blake, after Yang finally conceded to my point she said she would talk to Blake and ensure she went to the dance, so the operation is fine. But it's what happened afterwards that really got to me, and you'll never believe this one."

Mercury quirked a brow at me as he started drinking his own cola that he grabbed. Maybe I can get him to spray that soda around the room. That would funny.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, asked me to be her date for the dance this weekend."

The silver haired assassin started to choke on his drink, and although he managed to not spit the contents everywhere, some of it did dribble out his nose, which was equally as amusing. Mercury grabbed a napkin to wipe his face off a little before looking at me in surprise.

"You got Beacon's Ice Queen to ask you to the dance? How the fuck did you do that?" Mercury brought a hand up to his chin. "Has the student possibly overcome the master? No, that's impossible."

"Merc?"

The silver haired assassin kept muttering incoherently.

"Merc!"

That seemed to have garnered his attention, my friend reached over and clasped a hand onto my shoulder. "Athrun, I have never been more proud of you, yet at the sametime pissed that you managed to score such a hot date while I'm stuck with Emerald. I might have nothing left to show you. Your apprenticeship under me is now complete."

Suddenly the hand on my shoulder tightened, almost painfully so, Mercury's eyes widened and he gave me a look full of worry.

"Athrun, I just realized something, and I'm terrified for you."

The seriousness in Mercury's voice took me completely off guard. First he was praising me and being his typical self and now he's trying to say I could possibly be in danger? What's going on?

"Merc, what do you mean?" I asked.

Mercury's hand dropped from my shoulder and he sunk in his spot.

"Think for a second Athrun, there is someone who isn't going to be very happy and her name isn't Cinder."

It hit me that very moment. "Neo."

"You got it. Our little psychopathic tub of ice cream isn't going to be happy you're going to the dance with another girl. From ice cream to the Ice Queen. You are in some major shit, my friend, if she ever finds out."

My guilt over using Weiss was replaced with my own thoughts of self preservation. I'm not dense enough to not realize Neo has some interest in me. Now they might not be romantic, I think, but she is definitely possessive as all hell.

It was my turn to latch onto Mercury. "You can't tell her. Promise me you won't tell her!"

Mercury lifted his arms up, palms open, "I have no interest in sending you to an early grave unless you force my hand, Athrun. I won't tell Neo. But she's not dumb, she'll definitely find out at some point."

I let loose a deep sigh. "I know…" I brought my hands up to my head and started pulling at my blue locks. "Damn this is gonna suck, how am I supposed to stop Neo from killing me or Weiss?"

"Why would you care if she wanted the heiress' head?"

Right after that statement Mercury was met with my best blank stare, like, really bro?

"Chill, Athrun, it was a joke. Now tell me, what's wrong with the Ice Queen asking you to the dance besides Neo obviously not going to be pleased about it?"

Oh yeah, _that_ issue. "I don't feel comfortable taking advantage of her feelings, man. She seems like she's genuinely interested in Athrun Crocell, however she doesn't know that Athrun and the Blue Hawk are the same person. Obviously she would hate me then. I did bash her face into a pillar a couple times earlier in the week. It's just weird. I have no problems stealing from her company. I've done it plenty of times in the past, I don't even have too much of an issue fighting her and the rest of her team. But I feel like total shit abusing the fact that she's interested in me."

Mercury cupped his chin and pondered on my words for a couple of seconds. "Yeah, I don't really get why you're so bothered, if you want me to be completely honest with you. If the Schnee was into me, I would definitely take advantage of it."

Yeah, that sort of reply should have been expected.

"However, you're not me. You're a much better person than me, if we're going off of morals. That sort of stuff just isn't my thing. Not how I was taught or raised. I might despise my past father, but he's left his mark on me with his teachings," Mercury moved his legs around, "and my legs. That shit will stay with me."

My friend stood up. "Truthfully, someone like you should annoy me. In my opinion your way of thinking is one that doesn't make all that much sense. Luckily you can actually take a joke, unlike everyone else in our happy little group." Mercury offered me a hand, which I grasped before he pulled my ass off the couch.

"My piece of advice for you would be to try and show the Ice Queen who Athrun Crocell really is. Don't let you being the Blue Hawk bother you. While we're here we're _students_ ," Mercury put air quotes around the word. "So it would be good for our cover to act like ones. If you don't hate the girl, then try to have some fun."

"Thanks Merc, I'll try," I told him as I thought about his advice. He had a point, but it was still something that I would have to think over.

"Well, glad that I could be of some assistance. Do you wanna grab some food? Emerald wants food after fetching her dress for the dance, and the talking made me a little hungry." Mercury asked me.

"Nah, I think I'm going to stay here. I need to prepare for the mission and then possibly take a nap."

With a shrug of his shoulders Mercury left the room, leaving me alone. I appreciated his offer for food and he really did try to listen to me which is enough. All that's left is for me to get over myself, and the best way to do that is with a distraction.

I walked over towards my bed and pulled out my equipment, inspecting everything to make sure nothing would go wrong for when the Blue Hawk has to infiltrate the CCT. It would be embarrassing if I were to be caught due to me neglecting my gear.

After a couple hours passed I was finally finished. The wires in my vambraces were fully loaded, NightWing was polished, and I had several cartridges of dust rounds loaded and stored in the belt of my Blue Hawk gear. It wasn't until I received a notification from my scroll that I finally bothered to turn my attention to something else.

It was a message from Weiss telling me that I better not stand her up at the dance, with a picture of her dress attached to it. Sadly it was just the dress without the heiress but I can already tell she would look stunning it. The white would match her hair and definitely blend well with her ivory skin and crystal blue eyes. Hmm, black would actually look really good on her as well now that I think about it, or maybe a darker blue… That would look really nice as well, serving as a good contrast to her natural paleness, accentuating it instead of blending with it.

I shook my head once I realized my mind was drifting too much, but a smirk did emerge on my face. Mercury may have a point about just trying to enjoy myself and keep my worries of being the Blue Hawk out of the equation, at least for now.

* * *

"Everyone is confirmed at the party, you're clear to go," I heard through the communicator in my left ear.

"Understood, making my move on the CCT now." I responded to Emerald through the coms.

I was currently crouched on one of the many surrounding rooftops around the CCT. However, I kept myself far enough away from the dance that was currently going on and the CCT itself to avoid being spotted by an unlucky passerby.

Getting to the CCT itself was easy and uneventful, everyone important was at the dance, and once again no one bothers to look up. My eyes scanned the outside of the building, and overall the security didn't seem to be anything impressive. There was only one lone Atlas infantryman standing guard outside, from what I'm able to observe from my current position. There is at least another four inside the main lobby. For such an important place someone would think they'd put a little more effort into making sure someone like me didn't break into it.

There are two main options available to me. I can sneak in through the only entrance provided by the CCT, and try to avoid contact with the guards. If push comes to shove I could incapacitate them. Or, I climb along the outside of the tower and try to cut my way in though one of the many glass windows attached to the room I needed to infiltrate. Each option has its ups and downs. Going in through the front has a higher risk of me being seen by the guards and chances of confrontation are at its highest. Climbing up the tower however leads me wide in the open for the grand majority of my climb, and although the dark colors of my outfit would provide me some camouflage, it's not something I'm willing to put all my cards in. If one person from anywhere in Vale notices me climb the tower then the operation is a bust.

Front door it is then.

Making sure my descent was unnoticed I fell from my perch and crept my way around the side of the CCT until I could see the back of the outside guardsman. I mentally counted to twenty in my head, the guards on the inside that pass by the front entrance on their patrols inside take twenty seconds to pass the front door from my observations and I don't want them to see me take out their friend.

Once my mental clock hit twenty my left hand lashed out and a thin metal thread wrapped itself around the throat of my victim. I reeled him in towards me immediately and the pressure that the wire was exerting didn't even allow him the chance to choke properly. My right arm wrapped themselves around his neck as well as the guard struggled against me The only noise that was audible was a low wheeze that only I could hear due to how close I was to him. Once the man passed out I released the coil I had around his neck, before making sure he wasn't dead. Once I confirmed his pulse and breathing I made sure his body was properly hidden before I moved on to the next part of my infiltration, which consisted of more waiting.

Yep, part two of getting into the CCT consisted of me waiting, well, waiting from a suspended position by hanging onto the rain shield that protruded from the entrance of the CCT.

The reason for this was simple. The guards will eventually notice that one of their brethren is missing. Once that happens at least one, hopefully two of them will come out to investigate, and once they do I'll sneak past them.

It didn't take long for my prediction to come true. Two guards slowly walked out of the main lobby of the CCT, right below my suspended position. They were asking for Percy's whereabouts on their comms channel from what I can distinguish, but neither of them took it upon themselves to glance up. Have I mentioned how rare it is for people to look up? I'm pretty sure I have.

Once the two guards made their way farther out and away from me, I dropped down without a sound and gazed inside. Two more guards were stationed on the left and right of the elevator that I needed to take, which kind of sucks. The inside here is really open so once they turn their heads my way I'll be seen. Might as well make this quick and easy. I took hold NightWing, one blade in each hand and transformed them into their pistol variation. The electric dust rounds I prepared were already loaded into my weapons.

The slight noise that emerged from the shifting mechanisms of NightWing alerted the two guards but it was too late by that point. I fired a single round at each of them, effectively tazing them and rendering them unconscious before they could even say anything on their comms. NightWing morphed back into its bladed form before I placed them back in their sheath

Once I reached the elevator the doors opened up revealing two more guards.

"Oh, for fucks sake…" I muttered.

Both guards were reaching for the stun batons on their sides but my hands latched onto the faces of both guards as I rushed them and slammed their heads into the back of the elevator. The blue accents of my outfit hummed with a faint glow as the dust Cinder and I wove into it activated. Typically blue dust is associated with ice. However, I decided to go for something a little more, shocking. A powerful electrical surge raced through my arms, into my hands, and finally transferred into the faces and bodies of the poor two guards I grabbed a hold of. Their bodies spasmed until I released them from my grip, causing them to fall on the ground, out cold.

That was the first time I actually used the dust that Cinder and I wove into my clothes. I'm not too proficient in its uses yet, all of my applications of dust craft require me to be in direct contact with my opponent, but it is another tool in my arsenal, and being able to electrocute someone by just latching onto them is definitely a neat ability.

I took the elevator up to the central control center of the CCT. With my luck, I completely expected a couple more guards in my way, but to my pleasant surprise the room was empty.

 _Wonderful._

I made my way towards a random computer, scroll in hand. "Time for the easy part," I said aloud, plugging my scroll into the mainframe of the computer and letting whatever code Cinder implanted do its work.

"Loki's being implanted as we speak, what's the situation at the party?" I asked as I plopped myself down in a nearby chair.

"How long will it take for the virus to be transferred? Ironwood seems to have had enough fun at the party and is making his way towards your location," Emerald informed me through our comms channel.

A beep from my scroll notified me that Loki has wormed its way into the system. "No worries, I'm done on my end. I'll be out of here before the good General even arrives."

"Good work, don't get caught."

I unplugged my scroll and couldn't help but scoff into the comms, "Please, Emerald, I'm a professional."

And true to my word no one saw me when I left the tower, in fact I passed the General on my way to the dance, but not as the Blue Hawk. Instead Athrun Crocell walked by with a smile on my face. I had a date, after all, and it would be poor of me to be any later than I already was.

* * *

My eyes locked onto her the moment I walked in. My smile only got wider when I realized she noticed me and a small, delicate smile emerged on her own pale face. Not even the blonde guy in the dress distracted me from reaching my destination as my feet carried me over to Weiss.

The entire time I approached Weiss I drank in her appearance. I was spot on when I realized the dress would look fantastic on her, and I had no qualm with voicing that thought. I grabbed one of her hands in mine and took a knee, bowing my head before her. "Please accept my apologies for being so late, it's truly shameful of me to keep someone like you waiting." I rose back up on my own two feet before leaning in close to her ear. "You look absolutely stunning." I whispered huskily.

A small fist smacked my chest, but it wasn't a hard hit. Weiss' cheeks gained some color and her her eyes widened at my comment. "What do you think you're saying, you dolt!"

"Just the truth," I responded easily.

Weiss regained her composure and looked me in the face before checking out my outfit. "Thank you Athrun, you look very nice as well."

"Well, I did tell you that I would make sure to look nice for you didn't I?" My outfit for the dance consisted of a white button up shirt with a crystal blue vest which I thought matched the color of Weiss' eyes and a white suit jacket. My slacks were also white and had a blue line going down the side of each pant leg with matching dress shoes. Overall I was very proud with my outfit, and it pleased me to know Weiss approved of it as well.

"Yes, you did, now I hope you can dance at least half as well as you dress, because I will not have my toes be stepped on," Weiss declared sharply but I can tell from the gleam in her eyes that she was excited to finally dance, and with me no less. Wouldn't do for me to disappoint.

I winked at her. "Lead the way."

Weiss grabbed my hand and dragged me onto the dance floor. My eyes took note of Mercury as he and Emerald were slowly moving to the rhythm of the song playing but he took the time to give me a toothy grin and a thumbs up, which I only rolled my eyes at. I'd have to thank him later though.

Once we reached the center of the dance floor my hands gently moved to Weiss waist, while her hands wrapped themselves around my neck. I had no knowledge of what song was playing but I could definitely follow it easy enough. Weiss let me take the lead as I moved us to my tempo, she was probably wondering if I could actually dance, and by the way she was enjoying herself I can safely say she was pleased.

"Do I dance well enough?" I asked teasingly, my hands released her waist as my right hand grasped onto her left as I twirled her away from me, before pulling her back in. Her back now pressed against my back.

A soft chuckle escaped from Weiss lips, and in my mind it had a pleasant ring to it. "You dance exceptionally well, Athrun. Where did you learn how to do so?"

My mind drifted to Neo, she was the one that would constantly pester me to dance and is probably where I learned how to dance well in the first place but… Neo wasn't my first dance partner though, no.

An image of a young girl appeared in the forefront of my mind, her hand grabbing mine as we spun in circles laughing, her red hair spooling behind her and soft, gentle laughter rang in my ears. " _Haha, keep dancing with me Athrun, come on!_ "

Yeah, that right belonged to Kira.

"Athrun?"

I shook my head, letting my thoughts scatter before looking down at Weiss, her eyes expressing slight worry.

"Heh, sorry, old memories came to mind is all, I'm good," I told her.

Weiss didn't look too convinced. "Are you sure, it didn't look like a pleasant memory."

I turned Weiss around and held her close. "Yeah, I'll be good in a few more seconds. It wasn't a bad memory, but at the same time it reminds me of something long gone. It's not really something I'm ready to talk about."

My date nodded her head in understanding. "It's not my right to pry so I won't, we all have things we are uncomfortable to talk about. I know I do, but it's not something that will put you in danger, is it?"

Her concern was genuine, and I found it to be really sweet. The Ice Queen definitely has a heart under that cold exterior. I gathered my emotions and forced them down, giving Weiss a gentle smile in the process. My right hand moved to the small of her back, pulling the heiress into a gentle hug, her chest pressed softly against mine. I could practically feel her heartbeat increasing at the closer contact. "I really appreciate your concern, and no. It's not something that will put me in danger." I pulled away and winked at the ivory girl. "Who knows, I might tell you after a few more dates though."

Weiss didn't blush like I expected her too from my actions instead she rolled her eyes at me and gave me a mocking smile. "You sound confident that we'll be having other dates."

My left brow rose in question. "Have I been a poor date?"

One of Weiss slender hands pressed up against my chest as we continued to sway to the music. "Not at all, but the night isn't over yet, who knows, you might end up disappointing me in the end," she teased.

"Then I'll just have to continue to impress, now don't I, Snowflake." I responded without missing a beat, my steps leading us through our dance.

"Snowflake? Is that supposed to be your attempt at a pet name?" Weiss accused me.

I only flash her a toothy grin. "Of course! I could have called you Snow Angel like Jaune and Neptune did. Would you prefer that?" I asked her, already knowing the answer.

Weiss face scrunched up in annoyance. "Dust, no! But I must ask, why Snowflake?"

My reasoning behind the nickname came to mind the moment I thought of it. "That's easy, a snowflake is a beautiful symbol of human individuality. No two are alike after all, everyone is unique. However a snowflake is also shaped by its personal conditions and experiences, and I'm not naive enough to think you've had an easy life just due to your status. Those hardships and personal challenges have altered you into who you are right now." My right hand reached up and cupped her cheek, my thumb traced the bottom length of the scar on Weiss otherwise unblemished face. "The most unique and beautiful snowflake."

Weiss face grew as red as a tomato and her eyes looked down, taking sudden interest in her heels as they traveled along the dance floor. My hand dropped from her face, damn I'm fucking smooth.

"I suppose I can accept Snowflake…" Weiss eyes snapped up and she pointed a finger right up into my face. "But only from you, alright? I don't want to hear anyone else mentioning it!"

"As you wish, Snowflake, but you should know I have no control over other's mouths."

"Just shut it and keep dancing."

The two of us kept dancing for the next couple of hours, enjoying each others company.

I ended up walking Weiss back to her dorm, as I pride myself in being a gentleman. Once we reached the door of her room we both turned to face each other.

"So, at the end of the day did I do well enough to earn another date?"

Weiss put a hand to her chin, pretending to think. "I guess you did well enough."

"Just well enough? You hurt me with your cold words, Weiss, I thought we were having great time," I pouted.

"No need to fake a pout, Athrun, I get that enough from Ruby when she wants to get out of studying, but…"

Weiss crept closer to me and pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes, a soft sensation touched the right side of my cheek.

"Yes, I did have a great time. Thank you for being my date."

I rubbed the back of my head. "It was my pleasure, Snowflake, next time I'll make sure you don't have to wait for me," I promised.

Weiss took her scroll out and turned towards her door. "You'd better, I refuse to have my date be late twice."

With that final note Weiss entered her dorm.

"So, Weiss, I couldn't help but listen in to your conversation on the other side of the door. You're allowing him to call you Snowflake? That's so cute, who knew Athrun would be the one to melt the Ice Queen's frozen heart?" I heard what I assumed was Yang through the door.

"YANG!"

That was definitely Weiss. I couldn't help but snicker at the fact Weiss was going to be teased endlessly. This was without a doubt a memorable weekend.

* * *

 **A/N: Hopefully you wonderful readers enjoyed the chapter, and thanks you again to my beta Dongyrn for looking over my chapter and polishing it. I'm going to point out just one thing to hopefully help with a question that may come to mind when reading the chapter. That being Ruby not interrupting Athrun when he implanted the virus into the CCT. The reason for that is he was never seen en route to the tower. Unlike Cinder, Athrun has been making his living sneaking around, and stealing. He's far better at not being noticed by onlookers. It's not a big change, but it will cause some other minor changes to build up later. For those of you waiting for those bigger changes to the original RWBY plot, it's coming. But you will have to wait until we get into the events of Volume 3 so please bear with me. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and leave any thoughts, questions, or concerns in a review or PM.**

 **Edit: So FanFiction is screwing with reviews again, so as of now I can't reply to the reviews that have been submitted thus far. I will do so once the site decides I can see them.**


	11. Chapter 11

'You'll be careful won't you?' I tapped the send button on my scroll, relaying my message to Weiss. Just when I thought I sorted everything out over the weekend I get another bomb dropped on my head.

The following day after the dance I stopped by Team RWBY's room to say hi to Weiss. I just thought it would be the gentlemanly thing to do after being her date at the dance. The team of four teens was pleased enough to see me and when Weiss was finally able to stop doting over the corgi that was now magically in their dorm she gave me an embarrassed smile. Probably not expecting her fascination over the dog to be caught by anyone outside of her team. I placed a finger over my lips and shot a brief wink her way, her un-Schnee like behavior will be safe with me.

Things still seemed pretty good so far, no bad news yet. Don't worry it's coming. After some brief conversation I discovered that the corgi, named Zwei, was owned by Ruby and Yang, and that it was sent to them by mail. How the hell that wasn't considered animal abuse, I don't know, but Zwei didn't seem to mind and was quite happy to be around everyone. No, the issue came when I found out what the four girls were up to.

I was torn between berating them and just letting them go when they told me they intended to take a mission in the south-east for their Huntsman shadow. I genuinely believed that after the talk I had with them they would have given up on their righteous and heroic ventures. What I didn't take into account was they would take the lesson I was trying to teach them, take certain aspects of it and continue being a thorn in our side. I couldn't outright tell them "Hey girls, when I told you to think about your actions I meant for you to stop trying to thwart our plans, not continue your search with the help of an actual Huntsman". Yeah, don't think that would go so well.

Basically I was forced to play it off and pretend that I was pleased with the fact they would have some capable help this time around. Sending them off with shallow words of good luck as they boarded the Bullhead. At least the Huntsman they had with them was only Dr. Oobleck, he didn't seem all too impressive from what I've seen during his lectures. Just another guy addicted to his coffee.

Vibrations shook through my right hand and I saw that Weiss replied to my message.

'Thanks, me and the rest of the team will be fine. Dr. Oobleck is already getting on our nerves. I believe he's going to be the death of us if anything.' Weiss sent back.

I sighed and flipped through my contacts as I walked back into my team's dorm room. It wouldn't be good if this next conversation was overheard. I pressed a name on my scroll and after a couple rings a familiar face popped up.

Neo's charming smile greeted me, obviously happy to have been called. From the surrounding video image it appeared that she and Roman were busy with the White Fang wherever the hell they were. I could see grunts running around in the background and the faint traces of Roman barking orders could be heard every so often.

"It's good to see you again as well, Neo, sadly this isn't just a social 's something I need you to pass on to Roman," I told the mute.

An inquisitive look emerged on her face.

"I could have called Roman instead of you, but I would much rather be greeted by the sight of your face instead of his. You're much more pleasant to look at."

A silent giggle emerged from Neo, her left hand waving in right in front of her face.

"Flattery will get me nowhere you say? I believe otherwise. I know how much you love it when I feed that huge ego of yours," I replied, my own grin plastered onto my lips. Neo's always been a great partner to talk to, which is strange considering the whole her not being able to talk thing.

Neo casually tilted her head my way, refusing to admit how much she loved it when I complimented her.

I couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Fine, you stay in denial. I know the truth after all." I let my body reign itself in before continuing the conversation. I was getting distracted. As I mentioned before this wasn't supposed to be a social call. "Neo, there's a possibility that you'll have a team from Beacon coming your way. They're mostly trainees and nothing you wouldn't be able to handle normally, but they are also accompanied by an actual Huntsman. He doesn't seem like much, but it would be best to stay on the safeside. There's also the possibility they might never even pop up around your position. All I know is they are heading south-east which is vague enough. Just playing on the side of caution and thought it best to warn you."

My friend nodded her head in understanding before blowing a kiss my way in thanks, I could tell she was about to hang up but there was a favor I had to ask her.

"Wait Neo, can you also do something for me?"

She looked confused, but from the way she shrugged her shoulders it seemed that she thought it couldn't hurt to listen.

"If you do run into the team could you, um, not kill them?"

A couple different emotions passed through Neo's eyes the most prominent one was annoyance.

"Please, Neo! They're just naive kids, and I kind of consider them friends. I'm not telling you to not fight them if you see them. Beat them down if you have to, break a bone or two but please don't kill them," I pleaded. Hopefully by telling Neo that she could still inflict bodily harm she'll compromise with me and not leave Team RWBY as corpses out in the middle of nowhere. Imagining Weiss on the ground, her beautiful ivory hair stained by the crimson of her blood caused my chest to tighten up. I shook my head to clear my thoughts before facing the screen of my scroll again. Neo still looked less than pleased, her arms were crossed and a small scowl was on her face, but after what seemed like an eternity she gave me a brief nod.

I let loose a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding. Relief flooded through me. "Thanks Neo, you're the best. I owe you one, I'll definitely make it up to you," I promised my short, slightly murderous mute friend.

Neo rolled her eyes at me but her scowl was replaced with a small smile, a smile that told me she fully intended on making me keep my promise. On that last note she hung up and I sat my ass down on my bed.

What the fuck am I doing? Isn't asking Neo not to kill the girls almost like treason? What would Cinder do if she found out I asked Neo not to kill Team RWBY?

Memories of a hand radiating heat that caressed my face flashed through my head. Stupid question, she'd burn me to cinders… Right, so I'll just tell her I warned Neo and Roman about the possibility of intruders, no. She'll ask me how I was able to obtain such information and then I'll have to tell her it's Team RWBY that's meddling in her plans once more.

My hands started to pull at the blue locks of my hair and I forced them down, now's not the time to be panicking. Think Athrun, think. You're a smart guy, this shouldn't be too bad. Maybe I should just tell Cinder. Neo already promised me she wouldn't kill them and it's not like Cinder can magically leave Beacon and kill them herself. In fact telling her might get her to trust me more and allow me more leeway in watching them. Just leave out some of the details of my talk with Neo, the best lies are made from truths after all, alright, good work Athrun just don't fuck up.

"Yo, Remnant to Athrun. Anyone home? Don't make me kick you man."

I suddenly realized the finger snapping in front of me and was greeted with the forms of Mercury, Cinder, and Emerald.

"Sorry, I was just thinking, good thing you're all here though. I was able to acquire some info that I thought you would want to hear." I managed to say.

Cinder sat on her chosen bed, Emerald pulled up a chair, and Mercury just sat on the floor of our dorm. The mistress of fire beckoned for me to say what I needed to say.

"Right," I cleared my throat before beginning. "I learned this morning that Team RWBY has accepted a mission shadowing a Huntsman down in the south-east. I know that Roman and the White Fang are stationed around there doing I have not clue what, but I thought it would be important to tell you. I already took it upon myself to inform Neo and Roman."

Cinder took a brief moment to ponder the information I imparted onto her, her eyes burning ever so slightly. "That team continues to be a thorn in our side." Cinder's burning coals locked onto me, "I believed you told Mercury you had this situation under control?"

Cold sweat started to form on my back as I tried to keep my face as impassive as possible. "I thought I did too, they looked as if they've taken my words to heart. I see now that wasn't fully the case, but they also trust me enough to let me in on whatever escapades they are planning to partake in. I can then forward that info to you so that plans can be made accordingly."

The intensity in Cinder's gaze died down just a fraction at my words. My explanation made logical sense and I was able to give her info she wouldn't have had otherwise. Thinking about it in the long run she shouldn't have a reason to be upset with me and she's probably realizing that.

Cinder raised a lone hand up in the air and clenched it into a tight fist. "It's frustrating this has come about."

"So what do we do?" Emerald asked the boss lady.

"At first I was thinking of sending the Blue Hawk to our base at Mount Glenn to provide assistance." Cinder once again trained her sights on me. "But, that probably won't be necessary. Roman has the White Fang and Neo with him. That should be enough if any confrontation comes to pass, besides the south-east is quite vague. There's a good possibility that they won't even be in the same general area," Cinder concluded.

Hearing that was music to my ears. On the off chance Team RWBY does encounter Roman and Neo they at least have a decent chance of making it out of this situation alive now. All this stress is going to get to me at some point, damn.

"So, basically, we do nothing. Got it," Mercury concluded.

Cinder quirked a brow at Mercury's nonchalance but we all know that's how the silver-haired teen is. If he has an excuse to be lazy he will sure as hell make use of it.

"Correct… Athrun."

My head rested in the palm of my right hand as my gaze traveled to the flaming temptress once more.

"Try to keep in contact with Team RWBY, if they run into our operations I want to know."

I sent a two finger salute in response. "On it boss."

* * *

I kept in contact with Team RWBY through Wiess over the next couple of days. To my dismay their team was indeed checking around the old Mountain. Glenn settlement. Those girls either have the devil's own luck or we're just that unlucky. Possibly a combination of both. Cinder wasn't all too happy when I told her that they were indeed around Roman and his operation. Surprisingly her orders were the same. To just wait. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing anymore.

Vibrations traveled through my pants pocket and when I fetched my scroll I saw a message that filled me with dread.

'Ruby is missing, we found her scythe and are heading underground. We believe that something isn't right. I won't be able to message you once I'm down there, so I'll talk to you once we get our leader back.'

 _Shit._

The urge to bash my face repeatedly against a wall is quite strong right now, but I somehow managed to resist and found Cinder out at the quad. I simply passed my scroll to her, there was no reason for me to tell her what was going down and I really didn't feel like talking all that much.

"I see, there's no need to worry. I have a contingency plan in place for if things go sour. You did well Athrun, call for Emerald and Mercury. Get your gear ready just in case," Cinder ordered as she handed me back my scroll.

My puzzlement must have been visible because a dangerous smile spread across Cinder's flawless face. "Roman might be bringing a shipment to Vale, and being upstanding Huntsmen and Huntresses in training we should be there to help stop it."

Definitely don't like the way that sounds, but I knew better than to ask too many questions. I simply nodded and sent messages out to the both of them. Knowing Emerald she'll come running just because I said Cinder called for her. Mercury will just show up shortly after. He can't partake in bugging Emerald if she's with Cinder and he isn't.

Unsurprisingly the two of them appeared in just a couple minutes after receiving my message.

"Hey you two, so can one of you two tell me what Cinder means by Roman bringing a shipment to Vale? I am so lost," I tried asking them, hoping to get some sort of answer.

"What?" Emerald turned towards Cinder in shock. "I thought that wasn't planned for a while from now!"

Of course they ignore me, what else am I to expect. I inch myself closer to Mercury, hoping that he could take a hint and clue me in on something, anything.

"Huh, let me just say that Roman might be bringing a train to Vale, and you might not like what follows the train," Mercury finally relented.

A train? How the hell is Roman supposed to bring a train to Vale from Mountain Glenn? There aren't any tracks above ground that could bring a train to vale. Not even taking into account the Grimm that would be in their way. So an above ground approach should be out. So how is this supposed to work…?

My gaze travels towards Cinder, my mind running through everything that I know of Cinder's plans, which is admittedly not much. Was there anything weird from when I talked to Neo? When I called her Neo was underground… For Oum's sake I'm retarded.

"Roman's going to be traveling to Vale underground."

Cinder glanced at me after my comment. "I didn't expect for you to realize that. You're completely correct. There's abandoned tracks leading from Mountain Glenn to Vale underground."

My gaze hardened on Cinder's form. "But, what is he supposed to be bringing with the train? You can't leave me in the dark at this point Cinder."

A fire burned in Cinder's eyes as she slowly strut towards me. "Athrun," her right hand cupped my face sternly. "You do not make demands of me, understand that or there will be consequences."

On that final note the raven haired bitch let my face go before directing her attention back towards the view of Vale.

"I thought Emerald was supposed to be the bitch of the group, I didn't expect Cinder to be worse in her own way," I quietly muttered out.

"Hehe, be careful what you say Athrun, you're lucky it was me that heard you." Mercury's arm draped itself across my shoulder, before he turned us around from Cinder and Emerald.

"Listen, I didn't say anything, but the train isn't the important part. It's what follows the train. Mountain Glenn was abandoned for a reason."

Mercury walked off, rejoining the others .

Mountain Glenn was abandoned because of the high population of Grimm that was around the potential settlement. Fuck, the train is just being used to lead the Grimm into Vale. Cinder fucking wants to let Grimm invade the city! What's her game, how does this further her plans? I just can't understand what she's trying to do.

"HRRRRNNNNNGGGGGG!"

The sound of sirens rang throughout my ears. My eyes roamed across the sky before landing on Cinder's smile. The train has arrived, and so have the Grimm.

"Wonderful, we're heading to Vale. We can't let the citizens of Vale get hurt, now, can we?"

That smug look on her face pissed me off, but I obeyed and followed her towards the city.

* * *

The city was in mayhem, civilians were running without a damn clue as to what to do. I threw a chakram into a Beowolf, the bladed disk easily passed through the creature's neck, decapitating it.

We were making slow progress towards the source of the Grimm invasion, but we were moving a lot slower than we could have. By this point I knew there was a reason for it. There's a reason for everything Cinder does.

Mercury jumped in the air, firing a shell from his boots into an ursa, while Emerald cut down a small pack of Beowolves.

Cinder's voice rang out. "It's about time the General showed up."

All my focus was brought up into the sky and what I saw almost caused me to drop my weapons. Atlas brought an army to Vale. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew Atlas and Vale were at peace with one another it definitely would have looked like an invasion fleet. I was still relieved when the Atlas forces rained down upon the Grimm and their androids started to help clear the streets.

"Our objective is complete. Clean out the Grimm," Cinder ordered.

I didn't need to be told twice. My legs carried me forward immediately, my chakrams cut through Creeps, Beowolves, and Ursas in hordes as I fought my way towards the center, because despite the fact the Grimm were being pushed back with the help of Atlas there was one more thing I needed to make sure of.

The status of Team RWBY. They were at Mountain Glenn before Roman drove the train into Vale and I fear the worst may have happened. I know Neo promised not to kill anyone, but she can't do anything about the Grimm.

The roar of the Grimm grew ever so louder as I closed in on my destination. An Ursa Major barred my path, I had no time for this. One moment I was just a mere foot in front of the ferocious bear Grimm. It's claws outstretched, intent on plastering me across the pavement, but I am not easy prey. Right now I am Athrun Crocell, member of Team CAME and that means I have free access to use my semblance.

My semblance blinked me directly behind the monster in a blue flash and my arms moved off of instinct, flashing across the Ursa's back. The hardened spines that protected its back were shredded, shards of the white bone soared through the sky. Mercury wasn't lying when he said these suckers would cut through most anything. I cartwheeled backwards maneuvering my chakrams in a circle around me, bisecting the Grimm.

Once the Grimm disappeared I was relieved to see Team RWBY still alive, but they were struggling. Even with Atlas' help the four girls must have been in the thick of it since the beginning. Fatigue was evident in their movements. Ruby was attacking slower than usual. Yang's punches lacked their overwhelming power. Blake was losing focus, her semblance saving her from taking blows that would have normally been easy to dodge. Weiss' attacks lost some of their grace and she was fighting as if their was something bothering her. Her right hand would sometimes clutch her head. Worst of all Weiss was slowly being herded away from the rest of her teammates and it doesn't seem like any of them are going to notice the loss of the heiress until it's too late.

Yeah, they definitely need help. I appeared right beside Weiss due to my semblance. Damn, it feels good being able to use it again after being restricted from using it for so long.

I shoved one chakram directly into the gut of a Creep that got too close, before a sliver of white that wasn't Weiss' ivory hair passed through my vision. My other chakram left my hand and arced into the white head of a King Taijitu, buzzing through the head of the snake Grimm bisecting it in half vertically. That was badass and should serve as a good enough entrance.

I turned towards Weiss, she was obviously tired, her breaths were labored, but her eyes were full of shock and relief at my presence.

"Hey Snowflake, you look like you're having some trouble. Take a quick breather, the cavalry is here." I told her with a wink, spinning around and cutting through a Beowolf that mistakenly thought I was distracted.

I jumped into a small pack of Grimm and used the magnetic properties of my chakrams to cause them to circle around me, sending dark limbs flying through the air. After sparring with the likes of Neo and Mercury these Grimm don't seem nearly as threatening as they should be. A Boarbatusk rounded the corner and took down a couple of Atlas droids before it trained its four beady eyes on me. The Grimm curled up and sped towards me intent of running me over. I intended on testing the limits of my chakrams, but before I could see if my weapons could cut through a rolling hog a familiar black glyph appeared on the ground. Once the Boarbatusk passed over the glyph it was sent catapulting in the air, the Grimm abandoned its roll as it found itself flying through the air. The image of the poor monster flailing through air was cut short as crystals of ice pierced through it's gut, killing it.

"Don't treat me like some helpless damsel. I can still fight."

Weiss rushed by my side, an intense look on her face, Myrtenaster at the ready.

"Of course, I never thought you were," I ducked under a jumping Creep which met it's end on Weiss' rapier. I threw the chakram in my left hand at the legs of a passing Ursa, causing it to just flop on the ground, confused at its sudden lack of hind legs before some Atlas droids mowed it down. "Just thought a quick breather would have benefited you. You were clutching your head as if you were in pain earlier. Are you okay?"

Weiss looked as if she recovered some of her usual grace, her rapier causing the end of two more Beowolves as she pressed her back against mine. Together we pushed through the masses of Grimm, trying our hardest to regroup with the rest of Team RWBY. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Mercury and Emerald head off into the western area of the square. Knowing them they can clear out all the Grimm there easily.

I cut down a Beowolf that tried to sneak up on my left. My eyes glanced behind me and I saw Weiss freeze a couple of Ursa in place, but her stance was a little shaky. We fought well together but we definitely weren't fully in sync. But with this being the first time we've fought together we weren't doing all that bad. It was nice to watch the ice dust freeze hordes of Grimm instead of my legs.

"Weiss, you are you still holding up alright?"

I heard a Creep screech out in pain.

"Of course I'm fine, just a minor headache. Nothing for you to worry about."

Minor headache my ass, she's dizzy on her feet. "I know you feel like you have to keep up a strong face but you're wobbling on your feet and keep clutching your head every now and again. Let me know what's wrong so I can fight accordingly."

"I received a head injury while I was fighting on the train that broke through Vale. I don't know how bad it is but my vision goes blurry at random moments, and I find myself disoriented at times," Weiss replied.

"Possible signs of a concussion. Hopefully it's just minor. Your aura will help you out with the symptoms in time but you'll have to take it a little bit easier for now," I called out as I threw a chakram, having it circle around and cut down an assortment of Grimm.

"If you haven't noticed I don't really have the luxury of taking it easy right now, Athrun," Weiss hissed, creating a blade of ice that cut through an Alpha Beowolf.

I ducked under the swinging claws of a pair of Urse before lopping off the arms they lunged at me with. "I'm not saying to stop fighting, but focus on supporting me. I'll serve as the vanguard. Use your dust to cover me and offer support."

Weiss stayed silent for a couple seconds, and I used that time to cut down the two Ursa, which cleared the immediate Grimm around us. I'm hoping that her pride won't cause her to dismiss my suggestion, I'm just trying to look out for her.

She stared at me with her crystal blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

"Fine, I hate to admit it, but you're probably right. I'll do my best to support you."

Praise Oum. The muscles in my legs tensed up and I was ready to charge into the fray, but I felt a gentle tug on the back of my hoodie.

"Be careful Athrun, I don't want you to get hurt for my sake in this mayhem."

You probably wouldn't think that if you knew I was working with the people that caused this whole situation to happen, I would almost feel better if I suffered some sort of injury during this shit.

Of course, I couldn't say that, so without taking my eyes off of the Grimm I responded with only thing I could at the moment.

"Ok."

From that point on it was straight combat. The two of us pushed through the Grimm at a slow yet steady pace. I never viewed myself as a frontline fighter, for the majority of my life I was always outclassed by my opponents. Truthfully that isn't a fair assumption of my combat capability with the likes of Weiss providing valuable support and I knew her semblance would be a helpful boon in the ensuing madness, but for real, the Schnee glyphs are overpowered as all hell. They can speed someone up, work as platforms, launch opponents in the air, trap people in place. It almost felt as if they had endless applications. It almost makes me feel lacking with my semblance.

Four Beowolves leapt at me from all angles, but in a blue flash I was above them, rotating my body around as I fell from the sky, dismembering the beasts. Like I said, almost lacking, but it fit me perfectly.

"Athrun, to your left!"

I responded to Weiss warning immediately. My body dropped low to the ground and my left leg snapped out. A sickening crack followed by a roar of pain echoed in the air, I looked up and saw the body of an Ursa in the motion of falling on me.

' _Seriously?'_

I reinforced my limbs with my aura and simply stood there as the Grimm fell. The bear impaled itself on the Chakram in my left hand while I pushed the now dead bear off to the side, it's body already evaporating.

"Thanks for the warning Snowflake!" I called back.

A glyph formed under me and pulled me back towards Weiss' position just in time to evade a flurry of feathers from a passing Nevermore.

"Of course, you were the one that insisted I support you and I intend on doing my job." Weiss started jabbing me with her right index finger. "But just because I am supporting you does not mean you can fight so recklessly!" The hand she was jabbing into my side clutched her left arm, eyes stared at me with concern. "I know you're doing this to help keep me safe, but I don't want you to get hurt either. Remember that."

Would it be too much to ask for her to stop unintentionally guilting me? I have quite the conscience, despite me being a thief.

"Nice to know you care so much," I replied happily. A slight pink tinge covered Weiss' cheeks but her gaze didn't soften any.

I let my arms drop to my side, and dropped my cheerful pretence. "Look, I know you're serious. I'm serious about this as well despite how I've been acting. Part of combat is not letting how bleak a situation may look affect you, so I'm going to try my best to seem not too bothered by everything going on. Even if in reality I would like nothing more than to scream in frustration, but that's not important right now. I'll tell you a little about me later, alright?"

My hands clapped together loudly, snapping Weiss out of her somber mood. "Hey, we have bigger problems right now. Like those Nevermore flying around." I gestured at the three giant avian Grimm.

"Any ideas on how to take them down? I could try chucking my chakrams at them. If they hit I'm positive in my weapon's ability to ground the birds, but the problem is hitting them."

Weiss looked just as miffed as I did in this situation. "If those three Nevermore are anything like the one we took down during my initiation into Beacon then my ranged ability is just as limited as yours. We should regroup with the rest of my team, then we could-"

Whatever it was that Weiss was going to say was drowned out by the sound of a barrage of high caliber dust rounds screeched through the sky. The next thing I knew there were three less Nevermores flying above Vale. I immediately turned towards the source of the slaughter and my eyes were greeted with four individuals, but only one of them really caught my interest. Well, with the way she was dressed she could easily catch the attention of anyone.

She was adorned with a cocoa-colored shirt and a dark brown waist cincher. Long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with bullets. Above it, she wore another cocoa-colored belt of bullets with a gold crosshairs buckle, and what appeared to be a drape of black skirt hangs on her right side. A pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles, and a multitude of other accessories. Finishing the look were stylish black glasses and a beret.

Hell, whoever this girl was she could probably take on Neo and Cinder in fashion. Possibly win too.

"Hope you two don't mind the assist. I'm Coco Adel, leader of Team CFVY, the best second year team at Beacon Academy," the fashionista introduced herself, the hand not carrying her minigun outstretched.

I grasped onto her hand with a firm shake. This wasn't one of those frail girls, that much I could tell.

"Athrun Crocell, member of Team CAME. Thanks for the help. Weiss and I were trying to come up with a way to take out those Nevermore but you quickly made short work of that issue."

A smile graced Coco's lips and although I couldn't see her eyes behind her shades I'm sure they were gleaming with pride. Mercury is kind of similar to her in a way, they both carry themselves with a certain air of confidence, and they can back it up if they have to.

"I'm sure you two would have managed somehow, we saw how you two dealt with the rest of the Grimm in this sector. Very impressive work, we can take care of the rest. Team CFVY specializes in Grimm extermination."

Coco set her sights on Weiss. "Your team is resting up in the square, the breach has been cleared and we just need to take down the stragglers that are left. You should go join them."

Weiss perked up at the mention of her team and I could tell she wanted to make sure they were fine.

"We'll take you up on your offer then," I told the leader of Team CFVY

"You're leaving too, Blue? You seemed pretty Grimm thirsty, could have sworn you would want to fight a little more. Shame, would have loved to see you in action some more, but I'm sure you have your reasons," Coco remarked, once again looking at Weiss

What's with that 'Blue' nickname? Was it normal to give someone a name just based off of their hair color? My Blue Hawk persona is the perfect example. Most of my outfit is black and my mask was based off of a Nevermore bone mask. Do the authorities call me Hawk? No. They call me the _Blue_ Hawk. The only reason why the _blue_ part would be thrown in there is because of my hair. Where was I again? Oh, right.

"I normally would stick around and fight, but I like to think of myself as Team RWBY's friend. Checking up on them takes priority over me wanting to vent my frustration on more Grimm. Also, what kind of man would I be if I leave a woman on her own, even if she can look after herself," I answered her, pretending not to notice the blush that formed on Weiss' face from my comment.

Coco leaned in close and lowered her shades so I was finally able to see her dark-brown eyes.

"You, I like you. Your wardrobe is a little simple though, but it seems to work for you." She glanced over at Weiss. "He's a keeper, better take care of him because if you don't I just might step in."

"W-What?!"

Coco ignored Weiss shriek and started to strut off with her team. "We're no longer strangers, so make sure you say hi if you see us again, Blue."

Once Team CFVY was out of sight Weiss trained her sights on me, hands firmly on her hips, like she expected something from me. Oh right.

"Well, I was hoping you would either forget or at least wait a little longer, but I guess I could tell you a little about me now. You see, I grew up an orphan and I only had two friends for the longest time. We relied on each other, and supported each other. We kind of had to if we wanted to survive, being street rats and all."

My eyes gazed into the sky, "They were the best friends I could have asked for."

"You said were, as in the past tense. Why?" Weiss questioned me, but it looked as if she just wanted to confirm what she was thinking.

"The thought that made you ask that question is why. They died, Snowflake. They died and I couldn't do anything about it. Since then I was pretty secluded and only had a handful of people that I occasionally came into contact with. Kind of hard to believe with how I act now but there were three people in that handful of contacts that slowly worked through my shell, and eventually I was given a chance to belong somewhere. It's brief, and definitely not the full story, but it's the basis for my motivation and actions."

It looked as if Weiss wanted to say something in response but couldn't find exactly what it was she wanted to say, so I simply smiled at her and softly cupped her chin.

"Don't force yourself to say anything if you can't. I've made my peace with what's happened, and now I have a chance to bring forth change. Hopefully make it so others forced into the same position as me can live a better life."

However, I'm worried if the change I'm helping bring forth still aligns with what I wanted…

Weiss took one of my hands into her own. "I am sure you already know this, but you are not alone in this. You have friends and people that care for you. People like me."

That put a smile on my face. "I know, how could I ever forget having someone like you?"

Weiss seemed pleased with my response. "Good," she then grabbed onto my arm harshly before pulling me towards the square. "Make sure you remember that, also you better not be having any thoughts just because the leader of Team CFVY took notice of you."

Oh my, is someone jealous? It was definitely an abrupt change of topic, and maybe she did it on purpose because she didn't want me to feel uncomfortable talking about my past. No matter the reason, I appreciated it.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips which caused Weiss to stare daggers at me. If looks could kill I'd be a carcass on the pavement right now. "No need to be jealous, Weiss. Sure, Coco seemed cool, but you're the only one I have my sights on."

"That… was so cheesy, I have no clue how to respond."

I brought my head down to Weiss' ear. "Sometimes being cheesy is the best tactic, Snowflake."

Weiss turned her head to address my words, but I made sure to silence her with a quick peck to the cheek. "I'm glad you're okay," I whispered.

Normally I would be proud of myself for making Beacon's Ice Queen blush in embarrassment at my actions, give myself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. Weiss, in all seriousness, is someone I've been finding myself enjoying being around. She's straightforward with what she wants, beautiful, and not what I expected from the heiress to one of the most powerful business empires in all of Remnant once I got to actually know her. Can't forget that when she acts all tsun it's adorable. Now why am I not revelling in my success right now? The answer to that question would be the intense killing intent that was concentrated on me. Behind Weiss I caught a glimpse of tri-colored hair in the shadows of an alleyway. I was somehow able to keep Weiss from noticing my distress, but a single thought occupied my mind.

' _Fuck my life.'_

* * *

"Weiss! You're okay!"

The resident reaper in red was ecstatic to see her partner was okay and used her semblance to appear right before Weiss and I, giving the heiress a huge hug.

"Ruby, let go of me! We're in public!" Weiss hissed.

Ruby either didn't hear her, or just didn't care because she kept on saying how she was just so happy that nothing bad happened to her. Not even Weiss was able to keep the cold persona up and wrapped her arms around her leader. It was a cute sight.

Blake and Yang made there way over towards us as well, and was that Zwei? Why was the corgi here?

The exhaustion they felt was prevalent in how they moved, as if their limbs were weighted, but despite that they looked as if the presence of their team being all together once more filled them with new found energy.

"As you can see, we were all frightened when we noticed that Weiss wasn't with us any longer. We tried to push our way through the Grimm to find her, but we were all tired and there were just too many. It wasn't until your teammates, Mercury and Emerald, came to assist us that we cleared all of them out. So I would just like to say thank you for looking after our teammember when we couldn't, Athrun," Blake told me, her amber eyes still locked on Ruby and Weiss' hug.

My right hand started to nervously scratch the back of my neck. Even I felt slightly embarrassed hearing that from the usually stoic and quiet cat Faunus.

A painful slap slammed down onto my back causing my body to cringe in pain.

"I won't be as sappy as Blake here, but thanks, Blue. We owe you one."

"If you're sincere about owing me you could start by not hitting me like that! How much do you bench?"

Yang grinned deviously before pulling me under her arm. "Trust me Blue, you don't want to know."

"Yeah, you're right, I don't, now let go of me. You have a strange way of showing appreciation," I choked out from my strained position.

The blonde bimbo finally released me from her grip, air flooded my lungs and I drank it in greedily.

With the ability to breathe again my attention shifted towards Blake. "I need you to do something for me. When you get back to Beacon make sure Wiess is taken to the infirmary. She may have a concussion, although her remaining aura seems to be blocking most of the adverse effects."

A silent nod was her response and I knew she would carry out my request.

"Well look at you, you save your girl but you're getting attention from all the other girls. How is that supposed to work?" a certain smug voice called out.

Turning around I was greeted by Emerald and Mercury. A fake smile, not that anyone besides Merc and I would know that, on the thief's face. The trademark Merc smirk on the assassin's.

"Nice to see you two again, enough mayhem for one day?"

Mercury lightly shrugged, "I guess, the Grimm weren't anything special to deal with."

That comment caused him to receive a sharp nudge from Emerald. "Don't be so insensitive! This isn't a laughing matter," Emerald chastised before looking at me. "Cinder wants the team to get together to talk about what happened."

Good, I wanted answers. A wordless nod told Emerald I understood.

"Well it seems my gracious leader has requested my presence. I'll see you ladies later, alright?" I told Team RWBY with my best smile.

"Athrun, wait!"

Weiss walked up to me and gave me a big hug. Her small arms wrapped tightly around my body. I was stunned for a brief second before I returned her hug, my arms gently enveloped her into my slim frame.

"Go get him, Ice Queen! Let that frozen heart of yours melt!"

We ignored Yang's exclamation, opting to pretend we didn't hear it.

"Thank you for coming to my aid, Athrun."

"No need to thank me, Snowfl-"

My words were cut off by a soft, supple sensation covering my lips, tasting similarly to vanilla. My mind came to a screeching halt. Am I being kissed by Weiss Schnee? Error, has stopped working. Initiating reboot of mental hard drive.

Once my mind was working properly again I was able to confirm that, yes, Weiss Schnee was indeed kissing me. She obviously had no experience in the matter because her body was tense, eyes shut tight, obviously nervous. Can't really blame her for that though, this is probably her first kiss.

' _Might as well make it memorable for her.'_

My lips pressed down smoothly on Weiss' own lips, gently returning her kiss. I could feel her body relaxing slightly once she felt me reciprocate her actions. Her closed eyes looking more at ease. I finally closed my own eyes, my left hand moved to the small of her back bringing her body closer against mine while my right softly crawled down to her waist. Her arms wrapped themselves around my neck, bringing my head down to deepen the kiss even more. I was tempted to try and add a little tongue, but thought better of it, instead choosing to relish in the scent of Weiss' jasmine shampoo.

A couple more seconds passed before the need for air broke us apart. Both of us were blushing like mad.

"Hey Em, is it our turn now?"

"Shut up you pig."

Way to ruin the mood you two.

"Well that was special, definitely a way to end a Grimm invasion. Does that mean were dating now?" I managed to finally say, my version of the Merc smirk plastered across my face.

If it was possible Weiss' got even more red. "I-I just did not know how to properly thank you is all you dolt… But yes, I guess this means I find it acceptable to date you."

"Well, that's sweet and all, but I think I remember you saying something about Weiss possibly having a concussion. We're going to have to separate you two love birds for now. Ok, bye!" Yang interjected, grabbing Weiss by the back of her jacket dragging her off. Probably to be interrogated.

"Seeing how you're done locking lips with the heiress, could we go now?" Emerald muttered in annoyance, her public persona dropped.

* * *

Team CAME assembled on a cliff overlooking Vale.

"It looks as if everything worked out wonderfully. Roman is in the custody of the General, I presume?" Cinder asked.

"Emerald and I handed him to the guy personally, don't worry about that." Mercury replied casually.

My hand instantly shot up. "Could you explain why it's good that Roman was captured and the point of this Grimm Invasion? A lot of innocent people could have been hurt."

"But no one did thanks to the actions of you and everyone else. What happened today wasn't a part of the original plan, but the end result was the same. We wished to see the extent of Atlas' hold over Vale. You saw it yourself, correct? The army Atlas had on hand to eliminate the Grimm. Why would they need that in a supposed time of peace? The answer is simple, really. Atlas is planning a military occupation of Vale for the expansion of their forces. Headmaster Ozpin is giving the General free reign to do so. Roman's capture was planned. He has a role to complete with his entrapment, so no need to worry about your friend."

I held back the gag that wanted to come up with the ' _friend'_ comment.

"You think Atlas is preparing for war?" I concluded.

That seductive smile spread across Cinder's lips.

"Not think, I know. I have powerful connections, Athrun, and they know things. Ozpin and Ironwood are working together on a project and they are hiding something of incredible power somewhere in Vale. We are going to stop them, that is what we are preparing for."

Despite my personal concerns regarding Cinder's actions, what she said made sense in a twisted way once the dots started to connect in my mind. No Kingdom would normally allow such a large military force into their walls, especially with an event like the Vytal festival taking place so soon.

"I think I understand what you're saying." My right hand clenched in front of me. I got some answers, now there's just one more thing I needed to take care of.

"Cinder."

"Another question Athrun?"

I shook my head. "No, a request. Would you mind if I head back into Vale? I want to talk to Neo."

She quirked a brow at my request. "We are about to meet a representative from the White Fang. An Adam Taurus, you'll be missing out on our plans if you go now."

Roman's warning about Adam was brought to the forefront of my mind.

"Understood, but this is something I need to do. Mercury can clue me in later."

Cinder's gaze focussed on my form before she waved a hand in my direction. "Very well, you may go."

Quick thanks were muttered from my mouth and I left before she could change her mind. It was surprisingly easy to get Cinder's permission to leave, but it worked out in my favor.

It took me about an hour to find Neo once I was back in Vale. Or more accurately, it took an hour for Neo to finally signal me to where she was hiding so I stopped roaming around like an idiot.

The two of us were standing behind a rundown bar that hasn't seen use for the past couple of years if its shabby state was anything to go by, in a more shady part of town. It was dark out now, the only source of light being the moon which shone down on top of us. It was kind of a cliche looking scene. We just kind of stood there unsure of how to start the conversation. Well, I stood there not knowing what to say as Neo stared daggers into me.

"Look, Neo, I don't really know what to say but Weiss is someone I'm using for the mission objective," I tried to say, but it wasn't convincing in the slightest. The way Neo's face scrunched up told me she wasn't buying it and I wasn't really believing my own words when I spoke them either.

Neo walked up and grabbed my wrist, hard, applying enough pressure that I involuntarily winced.

"No, I didn't tell you to not kill them because I liked one of them. They're good people Neo. I just, I care for them. I admit it, not to the same extent I care for you, Mercury, and loathe I am to admit maybe even Roman but I still do care about their wellbeing. I didn't mean for it to happen, but I already told you. They're my friends, and I've already had to see two of my best friends die. Can you blame me for wanting to keep them safe?"

Her grip on my wrist loosened ever so slightly, but she could still snap my wrist in an instant if she wished it. Her pink and brown eyes bore into me, asking me a more personal question.

"Weiss, she... she was originally a means to help further our objective." That was the truth.

Neo wasn't going to let me go with just that. Her other hand reached up and grabbed the front of my hoodie, pulling me down to her eye level with great force.

"I don't know, okay! She was a means to an end, but I'm too emotional to think in that sense, I'm not like Mercury. Before I knew it I started liking being around her, and her safety started to become a priority of mine," I muttered meekly, but despite my soft tone I was getting annoyed. She keeps on asking me about my relationship with Weiss, but she's not asking if my feelings are compromising Cinder's objective or anything like that. Why? What the fuck did I do wrong anyways to deserve this kind of treatment from her anyways?

My body jerked back, so I was now standing back at my full height. My left wrist was still in Neo's grasp, but that was a moot point at this moment. I was getting frustrated, angry, emotions that I've never really felt while I've interacted with Neo before.

"Why the hell does it matter so much to you so much?!" I spat out.

Neo looked as if I struck her, her brown and pink eyes morphed into their beautiful white. I almost started to feel bad about my outburst, but I pushed those thoughts of sympathy into the back of my mind.

Those white orbs just stared at me before looking down at the ground. Her grip on my wrist tightened again and suddenly my back slammed against the ground, the air leaving my lungs. I tried to push myself back up, but Neo was straddling me, her left arm forcing my chest down. A stinging sensation surged through my right cheek and my head snapped to the left.

' _Did Neo just slap me?'_

My face slowly turned back to gaze at Neo but she wouldn't let me get a good look at her eyes. Her hair draped over her face but she was trembling. Why?

"Neo…" I tried to bring a hand up to her but she smacked it out of the way, however it was a very light hit compared to everything else. She rose up and got off of me, opening her umbrella she turned away from me.

"Neo, please, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Let me treat you to some ice cream." I tried to push Neo's umbrella away to make her face me, however as soon I touched it Neo shattered like a pane of glass. My words were meaningless for she was already gone.

Using the dust woven in my clothes I called forth one of my chakrams, spinning around carving a groove out of the wall of the bar beside me. My ass fell down on the cold concrete as I wallowed in my own frustration.

* * *

 **AN: A bit late but hopefully the length of the chapter helps make up for it. As always a thank you to my beta Dongyrn for putting up with me, your help is always appreciated. Anyways leave any thoughts, questions, or complaints in the review section or send me a PM and I'll try my best to get to you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Happy late holidays! Hope everyone was able to enjoy themselves the past couple of days. I would like to thank my betas D ongyrn and my newest beta 5 Colored Walker for their help. Please leave any questions or thoughts in a review or shoot me a PM.**

* * *

Two months flew by since the Breach happened. Which also meant it had been around two months since the last time Neo talked to me. I had tried getting in contact with her ever since I fucked up that night, but she would not have any of it. All my calls were ignored, and every message I sent had been read but disregarded. I had been reduced to asking Cinder to find out whether or not she's okay, which netted me a, "Don't worry about her, she's just biding her time," like that's helpful at all. She had completely shut me out and it's frustrating. I'm pissed that she was ignoring me like this when I want to fix things, but I'm more angry at myself for letting it proceed to this point. There was only one reason I could truly think of as to why she was so upset about seeing me with Weiss, and it was a thought that had admittedly been in my head before but discarded because I believed it silly. But now... now it might not have been such a silly thought after all.

Could Neo truly have had feelings for me, and more importantly, what were my feelings for her? I knew she was affectionate, and we were admittedly closer than mere friends, doubly so in this sort of business, but I always chalked up her behavior as part of her personality. It would be a lie to say I was never interested but she just seemed like a natural tease so I never took her flirtatious actions as anything more than just her having fun at my expense which I accepted. I found it amusing and enjoyed the time we spent together, even if it meant seeing Roman, it was worth it to just have a good laugh with her. Eventually it just sort of fell into a routine, and with that routine the thought of being romantically involved with Neo sort of vanished into the depths of my mind.

Fuck, this was frustrating, and it keeps forcing its way into my mind. Can't even keep my mask in place at Beacon as well as I used to. Weiss has started noticing when my mood slips, and has even been calling me out on some of my false smiles. Truthfully it's a miracle that we're still together, I would never expect the Ice Queen of Beacon to be so patient with me.

Actually, why are we still together? Wasn't this supposed to be a cover for you, Athrun? Weren't you just supposed to get a little closer to Team RWBY as a whole? No one asked you to get so involved with the Ice Queen, why don't you just end things? Your original goal has been completed, Cinder even said that the Vytal Festival is where everything will fall into place. Hell, this relationship is why Neo won't even talk to you anymore, if you cut things off she might talk to you again. These have been the thoughts that have plagued my mind, and every time they come up I always come to the same conclusion. I don't want to end things with Weiss. Despite the possibility that being so close to her may have been the catalyst that put me in this conundrum with Neo I still don't want to.

It's hypocritical of me. I want to patch things up with Neo, she's one of the few people that helped me in the beginning when I was a novice in the art of stealing and then she became one of the driving forces for me to move on with my life. Even knowing all that she's done for me, I don't want to have to throw away what I have with Weiss to fix it. Even though at times it may seem better for us to separate, we still find the time to just bask in each other's company, we don't even go on that many dates which is also something else I didn't expect from the heiress. Most of the time we're either in the library, Team RWBY's dorm if the other girls aren't there, or the occasional walk around Vale, sometimes a dinner. Nothing too extraordinary, but it works and keeps us happy. I've even asked her why she seemed so satisfied with how our relationship is going and she said it's because I don't treat her like Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, but as Weiss Schnee, the girlfriend of Athrun Crocell. Let me say right now, that comment initiated quite the make-out session. No, nothing risque happened, but I will say she's learned to become quite the kisser. What I'm trying to convey is that she's so genuine with me, and it's nice, and I'm not sure I want to throw that away.

A sharp nudge to my ribs pulled me back into the real world.

My eyes snapped to Mercury "What is it Merc?" A little bit of irritation wormed its way into my voice.

My comment just caused him to smack the back of my head.

"Don't fucking talking to me like that just because you're being a moody shit. Pay attention, we have a job to do."

Mercury had been the guy to snap me out of my funks recently and keep me from being an angsty loner. He made sure to keep me in line, which was much appreciated.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll keep my head clear so we could kick these guys' ass. Shouldn't take more than a couple minutes," I grunted out. My eyes scanned the surrounding arena. We were given the neutral field for this battle. The rarest set up outside of the finals match, but it becomes a lot less surprising when you're the one in control of the stage selection and the match arrangements. The Loki program has given Cinder more than just access to some of the locked files hiding within Beacon and Atlas' servers but it has even given us control of the randomization process for the Vytal Festival.

The roar of the crowd filled my ears, and my right hand started waving in the air. A confident, yet cheerful smile on my face. Gotta give the crowd what they want, and I am supposed to be the more interactive guy in this group. But did I actually care that much? No, maybe two months prior I would have found this situation interesting, possibly fun. Now however…

"Good luck, Athrun!"

Well, I can at least try to give my girlfriend a good show. I was able to pinpoint Weiss in the stands and gave her a simple thumbs up. Just the mere sight of her put me in a slightly better mood, even from my position on the arena stage I could see the gentle smile on her porcelain face.

My attention swerved to the team we were supposed to be fighting in the first round, think they were called Team RSST, pronounced russet. To be frank they looked pretty average if you asked me.

"Who are you calling average?!"

Oops, did I say that last part out loud? My bad. But seriously, pretty simple gear on all of them, basic Vacuo grade protective armor that is pretty standard for that region. If I had to say one good thing about them, the guy on the far left had a cool scar across his nose.

"Now that both teams appear to be ready, we have Team RSST from Vacuo's Shade Academy, and Team CAME from Mistral's Haven Academy!" Beacon's Professor Port's voice was projected across the arena.

"Yes! Let's get this show on the road, it wouldn't be good to keep the audience waiting!" Professor Oobleck agreed with his fellow commentator.

I walked over to Cinder, "I call the guy with the scar."

Her amber eyes glanced over, but she crudely smirked in my direction before a casual shrug informed me that she would let me have him. A savage grin crafted itself on my face. Perfect, I needed a form to release all this pent up frustration and stress, unfortunately for Nose-scar he's going to be my target. Nothing against him personally, he's just the guy that caught my interest.

"Three!"

My eyes locked onto my chosen prey.

"Two!"

His eyes met mine, trying to discern the reason as to why I was looking at him so intently. Seeing that he's taken notice of me I casually waved at him with my left hand. The intense stare that previously targeted him was replaced by a more casual smile.

"One, begin!"

I blinked across the arena grounds the instant Oobleck finished his countdown. The shock that accompanied my sudden movement gave me the perfect amount of time to sweep Nose-scar's feet out from under him, my right hand clamped over his face as I brought his head down against the metal floor of the arena with as much force as I could muster. In my left hand one of my chakrams was summoned and immediately tossed around my back to force the other members of Team RSST to scatter. The blue accents on the my clothes lit up faintly as the dust woven into them sent a moderate electrical surge through Nose-scar's body. The power I put into the attack was toned down quite a bit from what I did to the guards during my infiltration of the CCT, heard those guys had to get treated for minor brain damage and memory loss. The memory loss was fortunate for me because it means I could still apply the use of dust in this manner without the worry of it being linked to my time as the Blue Hawk. The fact that I gave those two guards minor brain damage tugged at my conscious, but with Atlas tech treating them they should be fine, it also let me know how effective this technique was. It shreds through aura at an alarmingly quick rate.

" **Bzzt!"**

The sound of the buzzer informed me that Nose-scar was already out of aura. My right hand released its tight hold over his head, It didn't take no more than three seconds to take him out. Huh, maybe I should have used a different manner or attack, that was just disappointing.

"My, my, it looks as if Haven is bringing forth some strong contenders this year. Athrun Crocell has already depleted Terran Diggory's aura," Port's boisterous voice declared.

Huh, so that was Nose-scar's name, not that it mattered now.

"Indeed old friend, Mr. Crocell's daring attack effectively eliminated one of his opponents in record time and separated the rest of Team RSST to be assaulted by the rest of Team CAME. From how things look up here it does not seem as if the remaining members of RSST will last," Oobleck added in.

A member of Team RSST flew across my field of vision, followed by another loud buzz. Standing up from the position I had over my own defeated opponent my gaze travelled towards Mercury who was the one that sent the poor man flying, an almost bored look on his face. He probably wanted more of a fight, but honestly I don't think there was anyone in this tournament not on our side besides Pyrrha Nikos that could give him a challenge. Sorry, bud.

Twice more the buzzer sounded, and when I checked my surroundings The image of Cinder standing over her own defeated foe and Emerald blowing away the smoke emerging from the barrels of her weapons were all that greeted me. Emerald must have just pegged her opponent from range, those things packed some deceptively strong firepower. And for Cinder, well, I feel bad for whichever poor sap she selected.

"And with what could possibly be a new record for the fastest round in the history of the Vytal Festival, Team CAME moves onto the doubles round!"

Port and Oobleck continued taking turns talking about certain ways the plan of attack we initiated was high risk high reward, little did they know we all just did our own thing during the match. Not that it really matters, as the majority of spectators left the stands to grab concessions or use the bathrooms. Weiss calmly stood from her own seat in the stands with all the grace one would expect from a Schnee, but I could see the elation in her eyes at my team's victory. Well, she obviously waited for me to finish my fight, it would be rude of me to not go see her.

* * *

"Athrun, I had no clue your team was so skilled in combat. How come you never said anything about that?" Weiss asked me. The two of us walking down the many stalls that were set up for the enjoyment of the festival's combatants and spectators, hand in hand. Typically if your girlfriend asks why you haven't ever told her something it's a bad sign, but Weiss just seemed genuinely curious. I heard from Yang that before I came to Beacon she would insist on meeting transfer students coming for the Vytal Festival in order to observe the competition. Not that Weiss would ever admit to that of course.

My free right hand scratched my chin softly, "I just never thought it was an important detail to bring up. We are a second year team so we have a bit of experience under our belts. Besides, we aren't that great."

The quirked eyebrow and tilt of her head clued me in on the fact she wasn't buying my modesty.

"Your team may be second years, but it is difficult to play being modest when you took out the entire opposing team in no more than eight seconds. They checked the previous fastest time and your team beat that record by five whole seconds. Given that, theoretically, there could have been a fourth year team vs a first year team, I'm surprised. Not that we see any combatants outside of the first two years. That's amazing, Athrun!"

Her enthusiastic praise of my team's combat ability kind of embarrassed me a little bit. I never considered myself much of a fighter, average at best, but when the scale you're putting yourself on consists of people who practically live and breathe combat like Mercury and mute midgets that…

There goes my good mood, had to let Neo invade your thoughts again, didn't you?

"Athrun, are you feeling alright? You were smiling just moments ago." Weiss' voice was laced with concern, her left hand gently touched my arm as she gazed at my sudden grimace.

My girlfriend's worry gave me the push I needed to fight back my grimace, hiding it behind a sad smile. "Just a sudden bad memory, I'll be okay," I brought Weiss' hand up to my lips, grazing her knuckles softly with my lips. "As long as you're with me."

Over the course of our blossoming relationship it quickly dawned on me that Weiss enjoyed some of my cheesy romantic antics. She'd deny it, saying that I shouldn't be so brash in public, but the dust of pink that never failed to stain her cheeks betrayed her. Another bonus was that she tended to drop her previous inquiries as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

"What are you doing? Other people will notice us! I don't need tabloids of us on the headlines back home." Weiss barked out. It's cute when she acts all tsun. Her eyes quickly flickered to the random passersby around us.

Now to press my newly gained advantage. I let go off her hand, and instead maneuvered it around her waist, bringing her petite body closer to my own. Now we were starting to get some looks. "I'm just showing you a little bit of affection, Snowflake, surely there isn't anything wrong with that?"

Oh, she knew I was teasing her now, her innocent flush was a deeper shade of red, but instead of a shy blush her face held a dangerous smile.

Weiss casually reached up, before she her hands clasped onto the front of my hoodie, sharply bringing my face down to her level.

"You listen here, you may be my boyfriend but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you embarrass me in public."

The intensity of her gaze forced me to swallow roughly.

"Is. That. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I quickly barked out.

"Wonderful," she released my hoodie before taking my hand in hers once more. "Come on, my team told me there's a stall that serves some delicious ramen."

Did I just hear that right? Weiss Schnee wanted ramen, of all things?

"I like to indulge myself in the cultures of other parts of the world at times, and I plan on getting the low sodium version too," the last part came out as nothing more than a whisper, and although it would provide me with more teasing material, I reckoned it would be better for me not to take my chances right now so I simply let her drag me along.

At some point during our walk towards this ramen stand I noticed Weiss pull out her scroll to reject a call. The briefest of scowls marred her face and I almost played it off as me just seeing things, but my time as a thief trained my ability to pick up on small details. I was tempted to ask what was wrong but thought better of it. She doesn't press me whenever I'm bothered by something so it is only fair to share that courtesy with her.

The ramen stand was fairly simple in appearance and was on the corner of the Festival grounds. I was honestly shocked to learn about how driven this guy was. He owned a dust shop named Dust Till Dawn as well as this noodle stall. Very impressive work ethic to be running two businesses at his age.

Then there was the food, and looking at the mountain of noodles before me I questioned how anyone was supposed to finish this.

"You sure that it's even possible for this to be low sodium?" I whispered.

Weiss herself looked a little uncertain herself, "Um, I think so. Anyways what matters most is that we enjoy ourselves."

She's not wrong about that. My hand reached down to acquire my wallet, but Weiss stopped me, pulling forth her own card to pay for the meal.

"It's my treat because you did so well in your first match."

I try to pay for most of our outings. Sure, as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company I knew that Weiss had more lien than I could ever make in my life but my pride as a man dictated that I should pay anyways. But, Weiss clearly wanted to do this for me.

So I let the stall owner take her card. Only for him to throw it back with extreme force, a moment later Weiss' card embedded itself in the countertop we were seated at.

Both of us looked down at the card, at each other, and then to the stall owner in shock. The man pointed at his cashier which displayed the word 'denied' in bold red letters.

"What? But I haven't even touched my allowance for this month," Weiss mentioned dejectedly.

I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "we could find out why your card failed later." My other hand pulled out my own wallet, looks like I am indeed going to have to pay for this outing as well. Not that I mind of course, Cinder pays quite well. "I got this."

That didn't seem to make Weiss feel any better.

"I know that you're perfectly capable of paying, but I still wanted to do this for you."

My hand reached out to softly weave into the ivory locks of her ponytail.

"I appreciate it, truly. But there isn't any need to feel down about this. I'll take care of this as an apology for not being able to watch you win your match."

"Well, I guess that's an acceptable compromise, but I'll do something else for you later." Weiss conceded.

With that settled, I payed and the two of us were finally able to enjoy our lunch. The food was remarkably good for some random stall. The broth was light, allowing the different meats and vegetables to really make an impact on the flavor. Noodles weren't too soft either which is what I'm most picky about when it comes to any noodle dish.

"Which member of your team recommended this place? I'm surprised by how tasty it is," I asked in between bites.

Weiss, being much more dignified than myself, actually finished the food in her mouth before replying.

"Blake actually recommended this place, we were going to all go together after we won our match, and then go watch Team JNPR and Team SSSN"

I sent an inquisitive glance at Weiss. "And how come you're not with the rest of your team?" That didn't sound good Athrun, fix your sentence. "Not that I don't like you being here with me, just curious." Really? That was the best I could do?

"There's no need for you to try and save face, I understood what you meant," Weiss giggled, putting her chopsticks down.

"Originally, I was planning on spending the day with my team after our win. However, Yang somehow discovered your team was going shortly after us so she insisted that I cheer you on. She told me that we don't spend enough time alone together and should make an effort to try and do so." Her eyes met mine, and I found myself lost in her crystal blue orbs. "Frankly I've found myself agreeing with her, so I accepted her suggestion."

"Seems that I'm going to have thank Yang at some point for giving us this opportunity, then. Is it safe for me to assume that she's been elected to move onto to the doubles round of the tournament?" I asked her. The two of us stood up, having finished our meal.

"In fact she has, how did you come to that conclusion?" Weiss questioned me as the two of us once again travelled along the fairgrounds, no destination in mind.

"Is it really that surprising that I assumed someone like Yang has been chosen to move on?"

Memories of the ridiculous strength she possessed sent a small shiver down my spine. The blonde was able to punch through a concrete support pillar as if it was wet paper.. That's _so_ not okay, if one were to ask my opinion on the matter, particularly if said punch were aimed at myself.

"You do have a point there, even if we decided on someone other than her, I'm sure she would have tried to strong arm her way into competing further anyways." Weiss conceded.

A triumphant grin greeted my girlfriend. "Of course I do! Now, I got one, who's going to be fighting with the blonde spitfire?"

"Athrun, do you think just because I confirmed that Yang was going to be one of the competitors that I would just readily tell you who else was going to be representing Team RWBY?"

I stared her dead in the eyes. "Actually, yeah."

"Well I'm not, what would happen if we were to face each other in the doubles round? I wouldn't want to give you an advantage in case that was to happen."

"You don't even know which members of my team are moving forward to the doubles round," I countered.

Weiss quirked a brow at me and crossed her arms. "Exactly, and I don't expect you to tell me-"

"Mercury and I are going to be moving onward."

My girlfriend stared at me in surprise. "Why would you tell me that?"

"What are you going to do with that information? Mercury can kick people, I can shock people with dust, you already know about my semblance too so it's not like you're learning anything new from me telling you anything," I replied.

"I just expected you to keep such vital information to yourself."

"And why should I? Only you know, and I doubt you would tell anyone. Even if you did it wouldn't matter," a smug grin spread across my lips. "Mercury and I would just kick their ass, so now that you know who my team is sending how about-"

"I refuse."

My shoulders shrugged at Weiss' adamant response. "Well, I guess it's up to my own deductive skills then."

I cupped my chin with my free hand and pretended to ponder on who Yang's combat partner was going to be. I already have a good idea as to who she was, my eyes glanced over Weiss' form. However, if she wanted to play this game then that's fine with me.

"It's Ruby isn't? It would make sense, the two of them are sisters so they would be the most familiar with each other's style of combat. Yang would act as the vanguard taking hits and dealing out heavy blows in turn, while Ruby could use her sniper to whittle down the auras of their opponents and her speed would be incredibly useful in landing quick decisive blows on her opponents."

Weiss looked a little unsure and was steadily tapping a finger against her waist. "Well, that's true, but-"

"Blake would be a good choice too. They are partners, and I have a feeling that Blake probably has more combat experience than Ruby does. Her weapons also has a wide variety of uses so it could prove troublesome to anyone who can't adapt to its many different forms," I interrupted.

"Anything else?"

"Hmm? What else is there to say?" I feigned ignorance at the fact that Weiss wanted me to throw in my own two cents about how strong of a team she and Yang could make.

"Well, there's me too," Wiess oh-so-subtly hinted at with a small wave of her arm.

"Okay… and your point is?"

The two of us looked at each other. She blinked, I blinked, she blinked, I blinked once more. Then a icy glare of anger bore its way into my eyes before Weiss pulled her hand free from mine and started to stomp off. I feel as if I should mention that even though she was technically having a tantrum at my teasing she was still managing to hold a slightly dignified look while she marched off. It would be better to go play nice and patch things up.

It was definitely nice that Weiss wasn't that tall. Her 'angry' march didn't give her much distance so I caught up to her pretty quickly. When I inevitably caught up to her and grabbed her hand she turned around and gave me an expecting look.

"Weiss, are you upset?

"Of course not!"

That's a yes, the best thing to do for me in this situation was simple.

"I'm sorry, I was already able to tell that you were Yang's partner when you wanted me to play a guessing game."

"Did you really, now?"

She still sounded upset, but me coming out with an apology certainly helped thaw the ice in her gaze.

"You don't think I'm an idiot do you?" I asked her.

Weiss appeared shocked at my question. "No! As if I would date some buffoon."

"Good to hear I'm not a buffoon."

A small "hmph" as Weiss turned her head away from me was the response I received, but at least she isn't walking away from me anymore.

"You and Yang have probably worked with each other the least in Team RWBY but that doesn't mean you have poor synergy with each other. Your semblance is probably one of the strongest supporting abilities in the entire tournament. The fact that you can create platforms to continue your offensive, pull your teammates out of danger, lock people in place, speed others up, and whatever else you could do with that your glyphs makes you a threat on any battlefield," I reached around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me. "It also helps that you are one of the top contenders in your sparring class at Beacon so it's obvious you can hold your own in combat as well."

Weiss slowly turned her head towards me, but I could see her fighting back a smile. "You better not think I'm going to forgive you just because of some flattery," her voice no longer holding any of its bite.

My hand shot up to cover my mouth in mock offense, "Never! But maybe if I brew some of that tea you seem to enjoy when we get back to your dorm, you'll be more inclined to forgive me."

"Perhaps I will."

I bowed down, my arms swinging gracefully to the side. "Then after you, milady."

A cute giggle tickled my ears as we continued our walk, but now our feet began to carry us off of the fairgrounds and towards a bullhead back to Beacon. Now that I thought about it, the two of us will probably have the dorm room to ourselves for a little bit, could be a good opportunity for me to see more of Weiss' _dere_ side. Not saying she can't be nice, because she is. She just tends to not try and appear overly affectionate in public but in a more private setting, she has much less of a problem expressing herself. She's very fond of cuddling, which I have no complaints about.

My musings came to a halt as I barely managed to avoid walking straight into the back of Weiss. "Snowflake? Why did you stop?" My eyes followed her skyward gaze where a ship was flying overhead, it appeared to be of Atlas design, but held a different look than the rest of Ironwood's fleet.

"She's here?" Weiss gently whispered.

"Who's here?"

Pure elation jumped into Weiss eyes, I don't think I've seen my girlfriend this happy outside of maybe when we declared our relationship.

"Winter is coming."

I placed a hand softly on the small of her back while my other hand directed Weiss to look at me. "And who is Winter?"

"She's my older sister."

What?

Her hands took hold of mine and held them in front of me. "I can't wait for you to meet her." She then released my hands and started waving a finger in front of my face. "Just so you know, her approval of you is important to me, so don't mess this up, okay?"

"Okay…?"

It was a weak response, but I what else was I supposed to say? For Oum's sake, please don't let her be one of those overprotective older sisters.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Yes I know, it's been forever. Had to put writing on the back burner for a little bit. I was struggling in some of my classes at college and had to focus on that for some time. Things are slowing down a tiny bit so I was finally able to squeeze in the time to write this. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews or send me a pm and I'll try my best to get back to you.**

* * *

Being able to gaze upon the Atlas airship up close, I decided the ship drew way too much attention to itself. Don't get me wrong, the ship was beautiful, but that was my problem with it. The fancy frills that waved in the air behind and it's sleek silver exterior just said, "Hey there's loads of valuable shit inside me. If you're capable enough then loot me!" Although, it was a ship from Atlas... I had never been there myself, but from the rumors alone it sounded like an area ruled by the wealthy aristocracy with heavy military influence. That theory was backed by the number of soldiers and the couple of automated troops that stood close to the ship. Supposedly, it was carrying Weiss' sister, so it would only be fair to expect the best from the Schnee family. On the topic of Schnees… My eyes wandered to the girl beside me.

Weiss was just a bundle of excitement. I was able to feel a slight quiver in the hand I held and there was this distinct sparkle in her crystal blue eyes that she didn't even try to hide. That proper Schnee persona that she tried to portray whenever she's in public has pretty much been disregarded. Her bright mood was kind of contagious, though. My own worries of making a good first impression on Weiss' sister weren't even on the forefront of my mind anymore. I just found myself wrapped within her positive attitude. Huh, this may not be so bad after all.

A soft hiss whispered through the air as the Atlas ship docked on the Beacon landing platform we were on, the back door slowly lowering itself to the ground to act like a platform for whomever was about to depart.

"Remember, I really need you to make a good first impression. I care about Winter's opinion more than anyone else in my family, and she could be a little... strict... at times. So please don't do anything that would cause her to dislike you," Weiss quickly whispered.

Remember when I said I wasn't feeling too worried? I'm taking that back. Before I could even voice my concerns, the sound of footsteps tapping on the metal ramp echoed in the air. There wasn't anything specific I expected from Weiss' sister, but it was still shocking to see her come down in a military outfit. This woman was without a doubt Weiss' older sister. She had that trademark white Schnee hair and held an aura around her that demanded respect. I had no doubts that she could use that saber on her belt either. Winter Schnee looked as if she could be a real stick in the mud if I were to be blunt, but who knows? I thought Weiss would play the part of a stuck up heiress and now we're dating, her sister might not be too bad.

"Winter!"

Weiss called out before running ahead of me to greet her very strict looking sister. Oh boy, I'm not sure how well this whole situation is going to go down. Might as well condone myself to my fate. No pressure or anything, this meeting could just have permanent effect on my relationship.

I paced forward in an effort to catch up to Weiss, but I refused to run. That would just make me look like a puppy chasing after its owner, and I have my own dignity and image to uphold. So by the time I was once again by Weiss' side she had already started rambling off.

"I can't believe you're here! It's so good to see you and-" The sudden cut off in her tirade was unexpected, but it appeared as if there's some proper way to interact with each other in the Schnee family. My girlfriend tried her best to reel in her excitement before speaking once more. "I mean, your presence honors us."

Really? Is that how I'm going to have to talk if I wish to converse with Weiss' sister? Not doing that, I have no problems with showing respect, but I am not acting like that.

"Indeed, it's been a long time since I've last set foot around Beacon, the air seems different," Winter replied, taking a couple tentative steps towards us as her eyes took in her surroundings.

Damn, even the way she walked held some sort of authority. One step in front of the other, perfectly spaced out, and hands clasped behind her back.

"Well, I'm sure the difference in the air wouldn't bother you at all. So, what are you doing here?" Weiss tried asking.

"Classified."

A one word answer, are you kidding me? Weiss, I am sorry for ever thinking you were an Ice Queen. Your sister takes that position wholeheartedly, shit.

To her credit, Weiss only seemed the slightest bit off put by her sister's response. "Oh, well, how long are you staying?"

Winter's cold blue eyes made contact with Weiss'. "Classified."

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

"I apologize if I seem disrespectful, but could you give a proper response besides classified? Your sister is trying to have a conversation with you but communication requires at least two individuals to properly reciprocate." There may have been a little bit of snark in my words, don't know if I meant to do that or not. Probably ruined my chances of a good first impression too, but the fact that Weiss was being given the attention of a fly really pissed me off. She looked forward to meeting her sister, Oum knows why, but she did. So it would be nice if they could actually talk like proper human beings.

Out of the corner of my vision I could see that Weiss was gaping at me as if I just sprouted a second head, maybe a third. The eyes of Winter Schnee immediately snapped onto me, and for a brief second I felt as if I was caught within a raging blizzard.

"And who might you be?"

Weiss stepped forward like she was going to answer for me, but I refused to let her try and play damage control. I was thoroughly annoyed.

"Athrun Crocell. Second year transfer student from Haven Academy," I responded, trying my best to keep my gaze locked onto Winter's. If I looked away in intimidation I knew she would take that as a sign of weakness. It's almost like dealing with Cinder in a way. The only difference was I didn't feel like I was stuck in a blazing inferno, just lost out in the tundra instead.

"I see." Winter shot her gaze towards Weiss once again. "So this is the boy you've been writing home about."

Weiss' fidgeted slightly under her gaze and the excitement she was radiating before no longer emanated from her, she was nervous. In any other situation I would have gently teased her about the fact she would send letters about me, but with the frigid atmosphere in the air it was obvious for me to just file that knowledge away for a better time. Maybe I shouldn't have run my damn mou-

"He's better than I expected him to be, although my expectations weren't that high to begin with."

"What?" Weiss and I both asked in unison.

That was literally the last thing I expected out of her mouth, and I'm sure my mouth must have been hanging open because Winter decided to give me a dignified snort. Before now, I didn't think a thing was possible, but Winter Schnee took it upon herself to prove me wrong. A snort could indeed look dignified, and elegant in its own way.

"Close your mouth before I take back the little bit of praise I gave out."

My mouth immediately snapped shut, and I shook my head to try and rid myself of the shock I just suffered. Weiss just finished doing the same.

"You mean, you don't hate him?" my girlfriend cautiously asked. Her voice took a meeker tone that I have only heard on very few occasions. Her hands traveled behind her back and I could see her twiddling her fingers in the corner of my vision.

"I wouldn't say I like him, but no, I don't hate him. He has shown that he could at least stand up for himself, and most importantly, for you. He's also not after you for the money our family holds or else he would be trying to suck up to me right now. I've had my fair share of dealing with pests and he's not one of them," Winter replied.

A sigh of relief escaped Weiss lips and I was about to send her a triumphant smile, but Winter was suddenly in my face. Her eyes studied me like a hawk before her she started pacing circles around me.

"Hmm, he's on the leaner side, the blue hair gives him a sort of exotic look," her eyes narrowed slightly. "He also has keen eyes. You've had to face many hardships to get to this point in life, haven't you? You know of loss."

My eyes widened on impulse and I mentally smacked myself for giving off such an easy visual cue. Winter definitely noticed it, but she didn't press me for an answer. Instead she just walked past me, a couple of Atlesian Knights followed her. "It's not my place to pry, and Athrun..."

Her sudden pause caused me to quirk my brow in her direction. I couldn't say for sure, but it looked as if there was the smallest hint of a smile on her face as she looked back at me.

"Thank you for looking after my sister when I wasn't in a position to do so. Weiss, show me your living quarters. I wish to inspect them," Winter finished.

Maybe she isn't an ice cold bitch after all, she just has a rough time showing affection through that frosty personality of hers, definitely a kuudere. More importantly, by my side, Weiss was giving off the visage of the excited younger sister again.

"Of course, Athrun, you come too," she responded, grabbing my wrist and pulling me with her.

"Are you sure?" I hastily asked as I tried to regain my footing after Weiss started to pull me after her. It's not that I didn't want to spend more time with Weiss, it's just that her sister was kind of scary. I know, I just finished putting up this act of bravado and I've done it plenty of times with Cinder. Cinder however, isn't the older sister of my girlfriend.

The answer I received didn't come from Weiss, but from Winter.

"Yes, please do join us, Athrun. There may be other questions I wish to ask you. It's only fair I get to learn about my sister's…" she trailed off for a second. "Boyfriend." She really didn't want to say that last word.

There's no getting out of this is there? With a sigh I let myself succumb to my fate, because there was no way I could talk myself out of this. What would be the chances for something ridiculous to happen that could save me from this situation?

The sound of failing electronics and the fact that I felt something collide softly with the back of my left heel caused me to turn around.

"Hey!" a gruff voice called out.

I didn't miss the look of disgust which crossed Winter's face once she saw our new arrival.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen," the mysterious stranger growled out, tossing the now decapitated droid onto the ground of Beacon's courtyard.

 _Who the fuck was this guy?_

The man was dressed in gray dress shirt, black dress pants and shoes, as well as a silver cross hung crooked around his neck. The most discerning features were his tattered red cloak which strangely reminded me of a reaper themed young girl, and his ruby-red eyes. If I grew up in a normal environment I would have thought the man was just a drunk that didn't know what the hell he was doing. He stumbled around and even smelled of alcohol. If I had to guess he probably just left a bar not too long ago. The thing was, despite his obvious drunken state, he was still focussed, his eyes traveled between me, Weiss, the Atlesian Knights, and finally his eyes rested on Winter, and hot damn, that glare in his eyes would have made my knees shake a little if I was its target.

The remaining Atlesian Knights looked as if they were about to fire upon the man, but a quick, authoritative "halt" from Winter brought them to a stop. Weiss, on the other hand, looked insulted and quite pissed with our new mystery man, and no you don't.

I grabbed Weiss wrist as soon as she took the first step towards the drunken stranger, which earned me a slight glare.

"Look, I can see that you feel insulted but I don't think it's smart for you to just march up to him and demand respect. It's not hard to tell he doesn't seem like the respectful kind of guy, and most importantly..." I pointed to the handle sticking out from the small of his back. "He's armed too, and despite the fact he looks like your average drunk, I'm positive he can still use that weapon of his. Your sister can handle this. "

Weiss relaxed in my grip and her gaze dropped as she conceded to my point, taking a reluctant step back to return by my side. Winter has yet to respond to the drunk vocally, but stepped in front of the both of us.

"I couldn't help but notice that Oum-ugly ship of yours, I guess that means you're here too," the drunk slurred, his feet kept stumbling around randomly.

"I'm standing right before you," was the immediate reply from Winter.

I could have sworn that I saw Winter's brow crease just a smudge. These two must have some sort of history between the two of them. It was subtle, but Winter was annoyed just by the drunk's presence and I still couldn't get a complete read on the older man. He's most definitely drunk, but the way he's acting led me to believe he's also putting up an act. His whole goal appeared to be to just annoy Winter. I dismissed the thought of a grudge against the Schnee family as a whole, he only looked at Weiss once, and that was in passing only. If he could care less about the Schnee family as a whole then why antagonize just Winter? No… wait, could it be?

"Athrun, what is it?"

I must have had some weird look on my face for Weiss to question me. "It's nothing, I just spaced out for a second," I immediately replied.

Shit, that was bad. I couldn't believe Weiss let me off with such a weak response. Typically there would have been no hope of that being the end of things, but there were more pressing matters such as the building tension in the air between Winter and the raven-haired stranger, so to my immense relief Weiss decided not to press me for answers. I counted my blessing, because for once I wasn't getting utterly screwed over. There was no way I was going to tell Weiss that I thought Winter and the drunk may have fucked in the past. That would have netted me an instant slap to the face.

The stranger leaned down and narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to find Winter, before his ruby-red eyes widened in realization. "So it would seem."

I brought my arm up, and coughed lightly to cover up the snicker that tried to escape my lips. The guy was just being cheeky, and I couldn't help but find it a little funny. Hopefully nobody noticed.

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas military property?" The scowl which marred Winter's face deepened.

The man didn't seem impressed by the hidden threat in Winter's message. He took a step back, waving his hands in front of him as if he regretted his actions.

"Oh, I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of… sentient garbage."

It's official, I needed to see this guy and Mercury interact, the banter between the two of them would be legendary.

Winter looked as if she'd had enough, having finally moved a couple steps towards her antagonizer. "I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss interjected. Probably wasn't the best time for her to do so. The tension in the air could cut bread. I made sure to step up beside her, but a little in front of her just in case the Qrow fellow tried something. I don't think he would, his attention is solely on Winter but it wouldn't hurt to take precautions.

"Geez, you Atlas specialists think you're so special, don't you?" Qrow spat.

"It's in the title."

Huh, so Winter had some sass in her as well, who would have thought?

"Do you know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss."

A bunch of sellouts? Boss? If Winter was a part of Atlas's military then Qrow would have been talking about General Ironwood. Cinder had already told me that the General wasn't someone to be taken lightly and that many of his actions are surrounded in conspiracies. Part of the end goal would be to drag his name through the dirt.

Winter looked as if she was done listening to the man. "I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough."

Qrow however, hasn't finished. "Oh, I heard too. I heard ol' Ironwood has finally turned his back on Ozpin."

"Ozpin?" Weiss and I couldn't help but question. Definitely for two completely different reasons though. If what I knew was correct Ozpin and Ironwood were working together. How did the General 'turn his back' on him, but still remained within the confines of Vale? This was Ozpin's Kingdom, not Ironwoods.

My eyes scanned the sky and I almost wanted to bash my skull against the closest pillar. Ironwood had brought an entire Atlas fleet into an unsuspecting Kingdom. Way to go Athrun, that took you far too long to figure out.

"Weiss, it's time for you and Athrun to go," Winter declared.

"What?"

It didn't take a dust scientist to know where this situation was heading. I took Weiss' hand and dragged her back a couple meters. "Weiss, come on, let's step back a little bit."

"Listen to big sister, Weiss! She'll protect you," Qrow spread his arms out wide. "Just like how Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?"

That confirmed it for me. Qrow had to be talking about the Atlas fleet hanging over Vale.

Winter placed a gloved hand over the saber on her belt. "If you won't hold your tongue..." Her blade left her side in one fluid motion, it's edge pointing at Qrow. "Then I will gladly remove it for you!"

I felt as if the smile that spread across Qrow's lips should have put me on edge, but it wasn't a predatory look. It looked more like a child that finally got what he wanted. He's been trying to bait her into taking some sort of aggression and now he's finally going to get his opportunity.

The drunk pushed his bangs up and out of his face. "Fine, come and take it."

I always thought of myself as fast, I knew I wasn't on the same level of natural speed as Mercury and Neo, but I took pride in my agility. What I witnessed was on a different level. One moment Winter was just a couple feet ahead of us, the next she was in Qrow's face trying to skewer him on the end of her blade. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish that without the use of my semblance.

What was even more amazing was how Qrow dealt with Winter's aggression, casually shifting his head away from each lunge. He wasn't even taking this seriously. It wasn't until he ducked out of the way of one of Winter's attacks that he pulled out his weapon. The blade should have been a two-handed sword with how thick and long the blade was but Qrow wielded it with one hand, which was surprising due to his lithe form.

From that point on it would be difficult to explain everything that happened. In the beginning, I was able to follow the two combatants well enough, but after performing a series of spinning slashes, the two of them kicked it up a notch and it was just a blur of motion from there. It was worse than having to keep line of sight on Ruby while she used her semblance. One moment they were trading blows in front of me, and then the next thing I could register is that there's a fucking hole that was blasted in the middle of the courtyard.

This was a real Huntsman and Huntress in action, and it was terrifying for me to see the gap in ability between myself and them. It was naive of me to even think that just because I could beat some teens in training that the real deal wouldn't be much worse. I wouldn't stand a chance.

I felt someone grab onto my right shoulder, and was about to call forth one of my chakrams before another latched onto my wrist while I was in the motion of doing so.

"Calm down, Athrun, it's just me."

"Hell, Mercury, you scared the shit out of me. What is it?" I hissed at my friend.

"Do you know what that guy is doing here?" Mercury questioned me, his eyes followed the movements of Qrow and Winter much better than mine were capable of.

"The drunk? I have no clue, he kind of randomly showed up and started to pick a fight with Weiss' sister," I told him.

That seemed to be enough. Mercury released me and was about to run off, probably to tell Cinder about Qrow. But for what reason?

"Hold on Merc. Why the sudden interest with Qrow?" I questioned him.

"Not here," Mercury looked around, taking in the amassed students watching the fight going on. "Come with me."

I followed Mercury behind the fountain, away from the majority of the crowd. He didn't pull us too far away from the action, because it looked as if he wanted to use the sound of combat and the cheers of the students to drown out whatever it was he was going to say.

"Just know he's bad news. I'll fill you in on the rest of the details later. But if he's here it would be best to be a little more cautious. I'm going to tell Cinder. You play the good boyfriend and go back to the Ice Queen. Try to learn more about the guy, it would be helpful."

Mercury's eyes widened a fraction, and that was enough of a clue for me to turn around faster than I think I ever had in my life. Two blurs crashed through the statue we were behind and if it wasn't for Mercury's visual cue I probably would have been battered by debris. Luckily, I was just able to summon both of my chakrams and cut through a couple chunks of stone before they could have given me a concussion. Mercury just had to kick a single piece of debris out of the air because my body was a convenient shield.

"The fuck! Could those two not turn the courtyard into a warzone?" It's funny how almost being on the receiving end of a concussion could change admiration for the skills of two impressive warriors into plain frustration.

Mercury was trying his hardest to not laugh in my face, " well I'm gonna run, remember what I said."

"Yeah, you go tell Cinder. I'm going to get back into that." I pointed a very unenthusiastic thumb towards the mayhem. My friend dashed off, and I moved to reconvene with Weiss.

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!"

"Teach him respect, Winter!"

Well, in the short time I was gone it seemed as if Ruby ended up joining the party, and did she say uncle?

"Well your uncle and your sister almost just gave me a concussion a few moments ago," I said from behind the two girls. The two of them jumped up slightly and whirled around to face me.

"Hehe, hey Athrun, he probably didn't mean to-" my deadpan stare probably caused her to stop whatever she was saying, "orheprobablydidn'tcare" she quickly corrected herself. My attention shifted to Weiss, and my girlfriend just looked away with a small blush.

"Um, I kind of didn't notice you had disappeared."

Well at least she had the decency to be honest. A sigh escaped my lips. "Forget it, I guess it's not too big of a deal. How much longer do you think they can get away with tearing up your school's courtyard before Professor Goodwitch steps in?"

The reason I asked was because at this rate there would be nothing left of the courtyard. And were those miniature Nevermores that Winter just summoned to attack Qrow? How the hell did she do that? Was it tied to the glyphs that they could use? I knew the Schnee family semblance was hereditary but I have never seen them used for something like this before. A blade of concentrated aura sailed across the ground, which forced Winter to end whatever technique she used to call forth her small army of Nevermore. It looked like Ruby's uncle Qrow was done playing around. The entire exchange he held an aloof, yet playful look on his face but now a hard scowl was present. Winter's patience was at its limit as well, a series of crystal colored glyphs appeared behind her and started spinning wildly. I didn't notice when but she now held a smaller blade in her off hand, and with the energy that her glyph was emitting it looked as if she was going to go for an all in charge against Qrow.

The man looked ready for Winter's assault. I could hear the mechanisms in his weapon shifting. The blade started to curve inward and then, it stopped. Qrow reversed whatever transformation his blade was undergoing and instead put his weapon in its holster on his back. The man truly had no consideration for his well being, did he? I knew he wasn't taking the fight too seriously from what I was able to witness but Winter looked as if she had no qualm with spearing him on the end of her saber. What was Qrow's game?

One last taunt from Qrow was all that was needed to push Winter over the edge. The Atlas specialist catapulted herself forward with so much force that all the students behind her were almost forced to take a step back to steady themselves, myself included. I thought Ruby's uncle was a goner, I couldn't think of any possibly way he could avoid or block Winter's strike.

But he didn't have to.

"Schnee!"

The commanding voice drove Winter to an immediate halt the edge of her blade mere millimeters away from cutting through Qrow's throat. The fact she was able to stop all that forward momentum in an instant was a true testament to her skills. I already knew who the voice belonged to before I even turned around. I've heard him a couple times since he's come to Vale for the Vytal festival and there were probably only a handful of people that command Winter Schnee to do anything.

General Ironwood stood behind us, Professor Goodwitch and Headmaster Ozpin beside him. The General's visage was as stern as his last name. Now it was obvious why Qrow goaded Winter into that last attack. He was the only one that could see Ironwood's approach, clever guy for a drunk.

I tuned out whatever excuses Winter tried to give to her superior as Goodwitch cleaned up the mess that the fight created with whatever bullshit she could pull off with her riding crop. Either her semblance was some form of telekinesis or she's some witch because she would just flick that crop around and things would suddenly put themselves back together, again, bullshit I say.

Weiss and I watched as Winter was whisked away by Ironwood. The older Schnee gave us an apologetic look that was definitely more for Weiss than it was for me. Despite my initial misgivings about her, she truly wanted to at least spend some time with Weiss it seemed. Hopefully they'll have a chance to spend some time together soon. My attention shifted over towards the cape wearing duo of Ruby and her uncle, and a thought occurred to me when I looked at how similar the two of them looked, kind of made it hard to believe that Qrow was only her uncle. He looks much more like her dad with how much they resemble each other. I wasn't just looking at the uncanny resemblance between the two though. After what Mercury told me, I wanted to see if I could spot anything about the man, but I couldn't spot anything worthwhile. Right now, he was just a doting uncle enjoying the presence of his niece. I got a lot more out of him watching his interactions with Winter.

My right hand started to scratch at my scalp but in the end I just gave up on trying to understand the man for now. It would be better to just get more details out of Cinder herself.

"Hey, I'm going to have to go meet with the rest of my team. Boss lady wanted to discuss possible strategies for the doubles round, so I'll have to see you later," I told Weiss.

She gave me an accepting nod. "That's understandable, I took a lot of your time today when you should have been preparing. So thank you for indulging in my selfish whims."

I couldn't help the little bit of heat that went to my cheeks as my eyes shifted away for a moment. "It's not a problem, I had a good time too. Even though your sister was kind of scary. I put up a tough act, but damn I was nervous."

"Athrun!" Weiss softly slapped my arm but it was all in good jest. "I guess she could be a little stern, but she cares for me greatly. She's the only member of my family that I think truly has my own interests in mind."

I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well I'm glad you have someone you can count on. I know you two sisters will probably want to spend time together, and it may be rude of me to ask because I missed your fight earlier, but would you and Winter want to see Mercury and I in our doubles match tomorrow?"

A gentle smile adorned Weiss face and I could feel my own lips curving up.

"Athrun, it would be my pleasure. My sister is a busy person, but I think she was interested in you enough to want to take a look at your combat skills. I'll let you know if we can make it," Weiss replied.

I leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I'll hopefully see you then, Snowflake. I gotta run, team needs me."

Now to see what this whole business with Qrow was about.

* * *

"You're sure it was him," Cinder asked.

"Ragged cape, large sword, black hair, smelled of booze and my old man. It was definitely him, Athrun could verify it for me," Mercury replied with ease.

Mercury and Emerald filled me in as to why seeing Qrow was a big deal. The Huntsman came in while they were finishing a job and made it so they could only escape with half of the spoils. Luckily Emerald was able to use her semblance to protect their identities, but his appearance still put them on edge.

"So what do we do?" Emerald seemed the most nervous, despite her snarky attitude and her occasional hostile remarks I was quickly noticing certain quirks about the thief. She was the most insecure and dependant out of all of us under Cinder's command. Almost like a puppy that wanted her owner to notice her. I haven't been able to find out why Mercury sticks around other than the fact that Cinder is a capable leader. I stick around due to my desire to belong within some sort of group again. Emerald, well, she sticks around because she flat out admired Cinder. Can't really blame her since the raven-haired seductress was the one who pulled her out of a life of misery. It also meant that Emerald rarely thought for herself, though.

Cinder contemplated the situation for no more than a mere second. "We do nothing. His appearance shouldn't alter any of our plans, and he has no idea who we even are. Even if he knows that we infiltrated Beacon, how is he supposed to know who to stop?" She turned her eyes on Emerald. "Just to be safe, you keep an eye out if you notice him doing anything suspicious, and you two…" Cinder addressed Merc and I, "make sure to put on a good match tomorrow. Give the audience the fight they came for."

Mercury and I smirked at each other and bumped fists. "You got it boss."

Tomorrow we were going up against Team CVFY. Well, Coco did want to meet again. Too bad it's going to be over me kicking her ass.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hi, it's been some time, I know. Umm it's finally here? Don't hurt me ;_;**

 **Not sure if I can ask of this after how long its been but if anyone's still reading this feel free to let me know what you liked or disliked in a review or pm, thanks.**

* * *

"Well Blue, I'll be the first one to say this wasn't my ideal way to see you again." Coco tilted her glasses down, giving me that cheeky smirk of hers. "But I guess it'll do, it's rude to keep a lady waiting, though. Do work on that in the future."

I couldn't help but scratch at my cheek a little bit, I didn't think Coco would actually hold this over me and to be honest I flat out forgot that she wanted to stay in touch. "Sorry about that, would you believe me if I said I forgot? I've been really busy lately."

The ever so fashionable leader of Team CFVY tapped the toe of her left boot as she gave me a gaze that said one thing and one thing only. _Really?_ The best I could do under such a deadpan look was try and give my best smile.

Coco sighed. "Well, it doesn't look like you're lying." The fashionista perked up the next moment and I felt chills run down my spine at the action.

"Hey Blue, lets put a little wager on this match? If I win you gotta take me out on a trip around town, of course you'll have to carry all of my bags as well," she declared.

The crowd roared in outrage at Coco's recent statement, and I could feel the killing intent from her ever present fanclub burning holes through my skull. To make matter even worse was the fact that Weiss was here so there was no way she didn't hear Coco's intentions. That's not all, Weiss also thought it would be necessary to bring Winter with her to see my match. How she managed to do so, I had no clue, but I didn't need Weiss' slightly intimidating older sister thinking that I'm a womanizer.

It was a risky decision, but I looked back to where I knew Weiss and Winter were sitting and sure enough Winter was quirking a brow at me but there was no way in hell she wasn't judging me. Luckily Weiss wasn't directing her piercing glare at me, but at Coco. Not that she cared. If anything it just amused her more. Just my luck.

"I'm not sure if I can accept your wager in good conscience. My girlfriend probably wouldn't take to that very well."

"I must have sounded like I was asking for your permission, I wasn't. Don't worry about the heiress, I'll talk to her. When I win it'll just be an outing between friends that's long overdue," came Coco's immediate reply.

It appeared that I wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Then I'll just need to win, I guess."

"Don't believe that's going to happen."

A harsh shove almost sent me sprawling on the ground, and I barely managed to catch myself. My cheeks heated up slightly from the embarrassment of having almost fallen over before the match even started.

"Could you stop flirting with the enemy? I get that she's hot but we have a job to do."

I just stared at Mercury with an incredulous look on my face, how was this my fault? It was only when I saw the mirth in his eyes that I knew he was teasing me also, the asshole.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

The arena around us shifted dramatically as it took the form of our arena. Even though I already knew what territories we would be provided with due to Loki being in the system it still surprised me how impressive the stadium for the Vytal Festival truly was.

Four quadrants presented themselves, the ruins of a destroyed city behind our opponents, a grassy plain immediately behind us, bursting geysers to our left, and a deep encompassing forest to the right. Coco may have been confident about her and Yatsuhashi chances of winning but sadly for her we had already made all the necessary preparations for victory. My mind ran through the jist of our plan as the professors on the intercom excited the crowd. Hopefully she won't hold it against me for winning so badly.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Begin!"

The moment the match started Mercury and I walked back into the cover of the grasses behind us. Cocky smirks etched their ways onto our faces and I couldn't help but gesture for Coco to come get us with my right hand.

The moment we were in the thick of the brush I grabbed Mercury's arm, and not a moment too soon because I could hear the mechanisms in Coco's handbag transforming into that monstrosity of a weapon. Before she could rain hell I blinked the two of us approximately twenty feet above her and Yatsuhashi.

Destruction was all that was left in our previous location and I would have whistled in amazement if it wouldn't have given away our position.

With our arms still linked Mercury spun around and launched me at Coco. My chakrams were summoned as I rocketed into the fashionista bringing us into the quadrant of the arena replicating a ruined city. I could hear Yatsuhashi briefly call out for her but hearing a deep grunt was all I needed to hear to know that Mercury engaged him in combat.

The two of us rolled along the dust covered floor of the broken building we ended up in but I recovered well before Coco did and brought one of my chakrams in an overarching slice towards her chest.

She was able to bring up her bag as a quick defense against my attack and my eyes widened slightly by how much resistance the bag was offering. It shouldn't have been that surprising once one was to put logical thought into it. The bag did double as a minigun and probably packed a lot of mass behind its deceiving appearance.

"You're going to have to pay for all this grime that got on my outfit, Blue," Coco growled.

It appeared as if messing with her clothes triggered her in the same way as Yang whenever her hair got messed up in any form. "Gladly, but only if you win," I taunted back. My right leg swung out in a roundhouse but Coco was able to twist out of the way before somersaulting back. Her bag already transformed ready to spray dust rounds at my position. At least she would have if she knew where I was.

The moment we separated I used my semblance to transport myself behind one of the many pillars scattered throughout the remnants of the broken down building. There was a reason I brought Coco here and it was due to all the cover these pillars could offer me. A couple hits from her gun would be plenty to knock anyone's aura into the red so I brought her somewhere where her primary weapon wouldn't be nearly as effective. I could have brought her into the forest as well but moving from branch to branch would cause more effort on my part if I were to use my semblance to do so since I can't use my wires while I play the part of the student Athrun Crocell. Furthermore she can't use her weapon to mow through all the pillars because they also acted as the supporting structure for the building we currently reside in.

Now all I needed to do was… In an instant I appeared before Coco, and again she was able to bring her weapon up to defend her, but this time in its minigun form. With both of her arms occupied I still had one free hand to do with as I pleased. My left hand grabbed her right wrist which caused her to accidentally fire some dust rounds into the ceiling above, small bits of rubble fell on top of our forms but I payed it no mind. My left foot kicked her feet out from under as I tossed her over my shoulder roughly onto her back. Coco was able to transform her weapon again and swing it horizontally my way in a haphazard fashion, probably just in an attempt to get me to back off and give her some time to collect her thoughts and formulate a plan of action.

I jumped over her attack as it only reached up to my knees, and borrowing inspiration from Mercury I flipped forward and tried to slam my right heel into Coco's sternum. Despite her weakness in close quarters combat she could definitely dodge well enough and has some acrobatic ability as she was able to evade my blow once more. I threw a single chakram at her as she was in mid-flip and smirked as I saw it graze her back, knocking her off balance and tumbling across the ground.

"Where did all of your bravado from earlier go, Coco? You're making this too easy for me," I remarked as I walked towards her downed form, ready to finish our battle.

As I looked down at my fallen foe warning bells rang in my head the moment I saw the deep brown of her eyes due to how her glasses hung a little lower on her face. My hands moved down on their own, my weapons discarded as I threw them away and crossed my wrists into an x-block as I barely caught Coco's leg from hitting me in my jewels. The way that my ankles ached from the block was all I needed to know that if she hit me with that I don't think I would have got up.

"That's a fucking- UGH!" The wind was knocked out of me as her handbag smashed into the right side of my ribcage, which sent me flying away from her. You wouldn't think that getting hit by a bag would hurt so much, but again it was also a minigun and for being such a slim girl Coco sure packed a punch.

My left hand slammed against the floor as I flipped myself back upright onto my feet. The moment I was situated once more Coco was already pressing her offensive and sprayed a hail of rounds down at me. I immediately dove to my left and barely made it to the closest supporting pillar. Her rain of hell didn't stop once I found cover and she continued to blast into the beam I hid behind. That was fine with me, I just needed to buy some time at this point.

A buzzer rang through the air and Professor Port announced that Yatsuhashi has been taken out. The moment the announcement was made the bullet hail intensified and I had to blink behind a new pillar as the one I was behind shattered into rubble. This was good, she's getting desperate because she knew she couldn't handle both Mercury and myself. It would cause her to not pay as much attention to her surroundings.

In my head I started to count back from five, and once my count reached three I sprung out from hiding place and charged straight at Coco.

 _Two_

Coco noticed me to her left and aimed her gun my way, a cocky smile on the fashionista's face. "You're mine now, Blue." The mechanisms in her gun wound up, about to fire. Two quick blurs were barely visible behind her.

 _One_

In a flash of blue I appeared directly in front and slightly above Coco. The moment she tried to raise her weapon up towards me I slammed my feet down, forcing the barrel of her gun into the ground. All the dust rounds fired desecrated the floor, shooting bits of debris everywhere. The surprise on her face morphed into a grimace of pain as my chakrams returned to me, carving their way across the top of her shoulders and through her aura.

The sudden hit caused her to stumble forward, and to put it plainly, I throat punched Coco. Her grip on her weapon was lost as both of her hands scrambled to her neck instinctively due to the lack of oxygen. A final knee to her core which caused her to tip over, followed by a harsh hip toss which slammed her into the ground, led the buzzer to ring across the arena a second time signifying Coco's defeat.

With that over with, I grabbed her right arm and draped it over my neck as I wrapped my left arm around her waist. As a last thought I also grabbed her bag as I walked out of the ruined building and into the middle of the arena where Yatsuhashi laid.

"And in a great show of sportsmanship, Athrun Crocell carries his defeated opponent to her partner in battle. Victory goes to the duo from Haven!" Professor Oobleck announced over the coms.

"That throat punch was dirty, Blue," Coco managed to wheeze out as I set her down on the ground.

"I don't want to hear it from the girl that tried to destroy my testicles, plus I did carry you over here. Doesn't that count for anything?" I fired back.

The leader of team CFVY rubbed her throat, "I'd say I'm sorry, but it didn't connect. Can't blame a girl for trying to use a technique known for its capability to take down the toughest of men. Gotta hand it to ya, I knew you and the rest of your team were good. We saw your first match after all, but we didn't think you'd be this good," her voice sounded a little less strained after she rubbed it. I punched it hard but not hard enough for any lasting damage. The small bit of her aura that she still had would be working on fixing her up anyhow.

"Next time maybe you shouldn't be so cocky about your chances."

"Next time maybe I'll actually destroy your balls, then we'll see about who's allowed to be cocky."

We both smiled and when Coco outstretched her hand I took it and gave it a firm shake.

"Yo, Cinder wants to discuss plans for the finals," Mercury cut in.

I gave my partner a nod, and Coco jutted her thumb out telling me it was fine. So I left with Merc, glancing up into the stands to see Weiss and her sister observing me. Winter still held that calculating and judgemental look in her eye but it seemed a bit more tame now. Weiss smiled brightly at me and waved in my direction. I couldn't help but flash a smile and wave back before my entrance into the locker rooms shadowed me from the sights of any onlookers.

* * *

"Well done, you both performed marvelously this afternoon," Cinder praised from her seat. The four of us of Team CAME were currently back in our dorm room, discussing our next plan of action.

"Eh, don't sweat it. They weren't really much of a challenge. The hard part is always holding back enough to not raise too much suspicion. It can get boring having to stage all these matches though," Mercury told Cinder.

"You'll have your fair share of fun soon enough, Mercury, but we'll need you to play along for just a little bit longer," Cinder cooed seductively.

"Do you do anything else but complain?" Emerald jabbed at the assassin.

Mercury quickly slid across the bed, wrapping an arm around Emerald's shoulders. "Maybe I wouldn't if you kept me entertained."

Emerald didn't even respond, instead she immediately shoved the silver-haired teen away from her.

"It's only a matter of time before you want me."

Despite how amusing it was to always watch the two of them bicker I'd like to know what the next phase of the plan.

"We secured Mercury's spot in the finals, what's next?"

Cinder smiled sweetly my way. "That's simple, we're going to have someone destroy his leg."

It was as if a record scratch went off in my brain. Did I hear that right?

"Excuse me did you say we were going to be breaking Mercury's leg in the finals?" My eyes shot towards Mercury but the man looked as nonchalant as ever. Instead of saying anything immediately he pulled up one of his pant legs and I could feel my eyes trying to pop out of my skull.

"I may have managed to kill my scumbag of a father but he left his mark on me permanently. I lost both of my legs because of that bastard. I'll admit, they're tougher than my actual legs were but I still miss the feeling of skin and flesh down there every so often," he explained.

It was still a shock for me to see. I knew Marcus Black was scum of the lowest degree just based off of what Mercury had told me but I never knew he would have done something like this to his own son.

"Hey, don't look so tense. He's gone now, and I don't need you feeling sorry for me."

"Our Mercury has done a splendid job in becoming better than his father ever could have been. I must say even I was surprised to see that Marcus Black had a son, and that the son proved to be an even more capable fighter than the father," Cinder purred.

I tried to let the tension dispel from my body. "So how are we going to accomplish this plan of yours?"

Emerald took this time to cut in. 'My semblance allows me to mess with people's senses through illusions. Mercury is going to stage his loss during the one-on-one matches and then I'll use my semblance to goad his opponent into attacking him while he's already deemed unfit for combat. Of course, that means we need to set him up against an opponent that wouldn't mind throwing a punch or two."

"Luckily we already have a possible candidate in mind. All we need is for her to make it past the doubles round. I don't think that'll be much of a problem, though, she's one of the best fighters in her class and you seem to be confident in her partner's abilities as well. The plan should proceed without any problems and Ozpin's reputation will plummet with it," Cinder commented.

What are they… Yang? Do they want to use Yang to further their plans? My mind raced through any other possible candidates, but it aligned to perfectly. Yang's very semblance was fueled off of her emotions, primarily rage. She was quick to act rather than think through a situation and I wouldn't put it past her to attack Mercury if Emerald fucked with her mind. I couldn't think of a better person to use.

The amount of times the I've seen the blonde suddenly lose her temper was more than I would've liked in the relatively short time I've gotten no her. But the thought of using Yang for something like this pushed me the wrong way. It pained me to say it but I've gotten too attached to Team RWBY as a whole, Yang was my friend and the negative backlash she would receive after her actions could potentially ruin her career as a Huntress. Not to mention the looks of shame the rest of her team may possibly give her would be heart wrenching.

However, do I put a recently formed friendship over the needs of the people who took me in, when all I had was myself? Emerald was a bit prickly at times but I couldn't say I disliked her. Her sharp glares have softened over time and I enjoyed teasing her about how she and Mercury are always together. Cinder, although I don't always agree with her actions, it's to be expected. She was a criminal leagues above me, but her drive was something to be admired and although I couldn't quite call us friends I could see us as close acquaintances and that could always evolve into something more meaningful. Mercury, a man I could consider to be one of my closest friends. He may be a sarcastic shit but that's one of the things I liked about the guy. Nothing could keep him down and he was one of the first people to try and open up to me.

Hell, even if they aren't here, Roman and Neo have become people I care for. One significantly more than the other. Roman may be a cocky dick but I may be getting used to him. We're gonna have to break him out of Ironwood's clutches at some point and I want to be there when we do. Then there's Neo. She saved me from Roman the first time I bit off a little more than I could chew on a mere whim. I somehow managed to amuse her and she somehow became my first friend I had since Sasha and Kira, she's my best friend. She's also someone I've managed to hurt and I can't hesitate if I'm to patch things up between us. Putting all of that against some people I haven't even known for a year, regardless of the fact I may be dating one of them, made the decision easy.

"Yang would be a prime choice for the next phase. In fact I don't think you could have picked anyone better," my voice left my throat with a steel-like confidence.

Cinder perked up at my tone. She probably expected me to hesitate with my response.

"You don't mind that we're using one of your newly made friends for something like this? She'll be ostracized afterwards, you realize?"

She was testing me again.

"I'm well aware of what could happen to Yang afterwards, but that's irrelevant to me and our goals. If it's necessary for the plan then that's that," I flashed a smile at my leader. "You gave me the job to get close to them because you thought it could benefit us. In the end a job is a job, and if it's no longer necessary then I have no problems with dropping it." I knew Sasha and Kira were probably looking down at me with disappointment, but hopefully they could understand I needed to do this for the sake of my new family.

"Well, color me impressed, Athrun. You've done some fine work, but I was worried that the bonds you've made with Team RWBY may have been a potential problem. I'm happy to see I was wrong," Cinder praised.

"It's you all versus them. Frankly they aren't as important to me. Ruining Yang and consequently throwing Ozpin's reputation in the dirt. I know you've been keeping an eye on Ironwood as well, what do you plan on doing with him?"

Cinder took out her scroll and projected an image onto the television in our dorm.

"The Loki virus has done a wonderful job in furthering our plans. We've managed to gain access to practically all of the General's files and systems. Imagine my surprise when I saw that he's created an artificial girl with an aura."

What Cinder just said shouldn't be possible. Aura was our soul manifested, that's why the Grimm don't have it, that's why rocks and other non-living entities don't possess an aura. So how was Ironwood capable of producing such a monstrosity? For what purpose would it be for?

My eyes scrutinized the image before me. The most disturbing thought that crossed my mind was why he would need it to look like a harmless little girl, a girl that, if I remembered correctly, was participating in this tournament.

"We're going to destroy this doll of his and show all of Remnant what Ironwood and the rest of Atlas have been doing with their lien. Lien that's been gathered through corruption. It's almost laughable how everything has been falling into place so easily." Cinder projected another image onto the screen. The image of a very familiar redheaded spartan.

"Mercury a while back was able to kindly discover that the Invincible Girl's semblance was polarity. I'm sure you can image how that semblance would come into play against a girl made of metal."

"She'd be torn apart," I muttered.

"Precisely. All that would be needed is a few choice words from myself and the public will have lost all faith in Atlas and Ozpin respectively."

"Your plans have always been something Cinder, but this one I really have to hand it to you. I'm impressed."

Cinder smiled almost sweetly. "I'm happy to hear it, Athrun." She stood from her spot and walked towards the door. "I need to finish some last-minute preparations for the next phase of the plan. Everyone's free to do as they please."

With that, Cinder left us. Mercury instantly pulled out his scroll while Emerald pulled out a book for herself. A small vibration from my pocket caused me to pull out my own scroll.

It was Weiss, she was seeing Winter off but wanted to see if we could meet in one of the training rooms at around nine. That was surprisingly late for her to want to meet but I didn't see why I couldn't indulge her. My decision to go with Cinder's plan filled my head as I sent her my reply. It would be nice to make some good memories now while I still could, soon enough it would all be over.

* * *

"Athrun!"

"Hey Weiss, what's up? You typically don't call me out around this time. What would the press think if the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company was found hanging out with a boy by herself so late at night?"

"What I do with my time is up for me to decide. Besides the press shouldn't know as long as someone keeps their mouth shut."

Her accusing glare got a chuckle out of me, and I brought her into a hug.

"Hey! Don't do that so suddenly, what if someone sees us?"

"It's pretty late, and we're in one of the practice facilities of all places. Who's gonna see us?" I whispered into her ear.

I could feel Weiss relax into my grip and return my embrace with a bit more enthusiasm. "You have a point, but a casual rendezvous isn't why I called you out here tonight."

My right hand gently combed through her hair. "Then why did you call me out here?"

"I need your help with something. Before Winter left she tried to help me with my summoning. You can think of it as an evolution of my semblance. She used it against Ruby's uncle when they had their small mishap in Beacon's courtyard."

Now that she mentioned it I do remember a ton of what appeared to be tiny Nevermore attacking Qrow. So that's summoning?

"And you could do something that amazing as well? Color me impressed."

A faint hue of red colored Weiss's cheeks.

"That's the thing, I'm not very proficient at it and I'd like your help in getting better."

Weiss took the time to explain how her summoning was supposed to work and the advice Winter gave her in that regard. How some of Weiss's insecurities may be getting in the way of her summoning and how she needed to come to terms with certain situations involving the rest of her family. When I heard that last part I didn't even bother asking for more details, I've heard about enough shitty fathers for one day.

"I was able to come to terms with what I want for myself after my talk with Winter. I don't just want to be the perfect little girl that father wants me to be. I'd be nothing more than a puppet." Her hands clasped down on the hem of her skirt, scrunching up the pristine cloth. "I refuse to be another trophy that he can parade around."

"Then I guess we better get started. You've come to terms with the path you wish to take but you still haven't managed to master summoning. Let me see you try it."

With a nod Weiss placed the tip of Myrtenaster on the ground before her. The next moment a white glyph emerged under her feet as well as an identical one just a few feet in front of her. A sudden gust of wind emerged from her position and I almost had to take a step back to steady myself. Her eyes were closed in concentration and I could already see several small beads of sweat forming upon her brow. The two glyphs started to rotate rapidly but in an instant they stopped and all that was left in the space of the glyph formally in front of Weiss was a small, snow-white caterpillar.

To her credit Weiss didn't let her failure deter her and assumed her position once more. This cycle repeated for well over an hour.

After her most recent failed attempt Weiss gave me a disappointed look. Of course the source of her disappointment was herself.

"I'm sorry to have dragged you out here for me to have accomplished nothing. Winter told me that I needed to have full control over my emotions as well as have come to terms with myself. I thought having you by my side would help me out but…" Her pristine face twisted in contempt, and I thought I could see her latest glyph behind her start to wind up once more without her knowledge. "It still looks like I have plenty of work to do," she spat.

It may have been wrong of me but I truthfully didn't pay attention to much to Weiss's last words of self contempt because I was too busy ogling at the giant sword that sprouted out of the ground.

Having finally noticed my lack of attention Weiss glanced behind her and took a step back in surprise once she noticed the enormous blade.

I walked up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulders. "I know that your sister told you to control your emotions but what worked for her may not necessarily work for you. You're your own person and our semblances feed off of who we are and grow from it. Maybe Winter was able to perform summoning with a calm and calculating mind, but you..." My free hand gestured out towards the sword that she summoned. "You brought this out through your frustration and whatever other feelings were swirling around in that big heart of yours. Maybe you don't need to put a lid on your emotions, instead perhaps all you need is to use them as your source."

My words had merit to them and Weiss seemed to have acknowledged that.

"How do you suppose we test your theory?"

Luckily for Weiss a plan already put itself together.

"I've thought of something. All I need is for you to try one more time and no matter what just focus on the emotions you're feeling in that moment."

I didn't tell her much but she prepared herself for one last attempt anyways. Once I saw the glyphs start to rotate I made my move.

My feet gently entered the radius of the glyph that emerged under Weiss and I wrapped my arms around her from behind. I felt her body shudder in surprise at my touch, her porcelain faced looked at me as she turned my way, lips parted in preparation for whatever words she wished to say.

I didn't let her. My lips descended gently and claimed hers. With her mouth already open I slipped my tongue inside. She was always a little submissive when it came to this point, in fact she didn't even bother fighting back. The proud heiress, shy and meek when it came to physical contact. My ears registered the sound of Myrtenaster falling to the ground but that was quickly ignored in favor of reveling in the sensation of Weiss's slender hands traveling up my chest and around my back.

Several more seconds passed before I pulled back, allowing myself to take in proper breaths of air once more. Weiss was breathing much heavier than I was so I gave her some time to gather her bearings. In the meantime I took that split second to try and see the results of my hypothesis. My gaze didn't even need to travel to the summoning circle.

The moment my eyes left the beauty in my arms I almost gasped at the sight which greeted me.

A giant suit of armor as white as Weiss's hair kneeled before the both of us. Its massive blade was resting on the ground as if waiting for its princess to command it.

I couldn't help but smirk. "And that, my dear, is the power of human emotion."

Unlike myself, Weiss did audibly gasp at the sight of the giant knight.

"This is the same construct that my father made me fight before he allowed me to pursue my studies at Beacon."

She carefully stepped towards it, her hands gently touched the docile giant as she made her way around it and back to my side.

"What were you thinking during the summoning?" I asked.

Her face became a brilliant scarlet color as she turned her head away from me. A small chuckle escaped my lips at her embarrassment.

"Oof!"

Only for her to punch my chest and then bury her head in it.

"At first I was shocked when you touched me and then almost pushed you away when you kissed me, but then I remembered your words and decided to trust you." If it was possible she turned even more red and I could have sworn steam started to erupt from her ears.

"So as you deepened the kiss all I thought about was how much I loved being in your arms and how safe I felt when you held me against you." The ending to her explanation came out as nothing more than a mumble but I heard it.

And her words only served to remind me that in just a few days that I would be betraying the trust she and the rest of Team RWBY had in me. Despite feeling as if a knife was being twisted in my chest I did my best to smile and all I could manage to say was…

"Thank you."

Weiss never did manage to see through my mask and I walked her back to her dorm with that fake smile on my face the entire time. I didn't let the mask crumble until I was within the confines of my own bed, and only then did I let a single tear trickle down my face, unnoticed by all.

Weiss and Yang won their match the following day. The appearance of her summoned knight caught her competitors by complete surprise and were quickly taken care of in short order. The next phase of Cinder's plan was prepped and with it would come the end of my relationship with Team RWBY.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Just give me the worst updater award, please. Man I suck, won't even bother with excuses. Sure, at times I had things come up but not to the extent that it should have taken me this long. Sorry about that.**

* * *

Today was the day that we would initiate the beginning of the end. The finals of the Vytal Festival were to begin and if everything were to go as planned then we would be able to open up the public's eyes to the corruption that has run rampant within the Kingdom of Vale and Atlas. It's ironic in a sense, the ones who planned this grand revelation would be none other than a group of criminals themselves. Not that the public would ever find that out, as none of us were going to be advertising ourselves during the planned reveal when that android created by Atlas gets exposed for what it is.

My scroll buzzed, and when I took it out I noticed it was another message from Weiss. It pained me slightly to see it. I've been slowly but surely reducing the amount of time I spent with her to prepare myself for the moment when everything changes. Luckily she hasn't seemed to notice my actions yet as I've been giving her excuses such as helping Mercury prepare for the finals today. Her message was a simple good luck directed at my team but I knew she just wanted to say something since we haven't seen each other the past couple days. She was truly different than that cold exterior she always presented to most people, a truly gentle and caring soul.

 _And I'm the one that's going to be grinding that trust into the ground._

I sent a curt response of thanks back to her, also wishing Yang luck in the tournament. The blonde firecracker was going to need all the luck she could get after the day was over.

As Oobleck and Port explained the rules of the one-on-one rounds I merely sat on the sidelines with Emerald, the two of us had a role in what was to come and I was not looking forward to it.

Just as scripted by the Loki virus, Mercury and Yang were selected as the first participants for the tournament finals. It was in these upcoming moments that Mercury would stage his defeat and Yang would become our first scapegoat.

Mercury was a natural actor. Throughout his match with Yang he was able to give a match the audience devoured. The match was honestly close, or at least it appeared to be so. The silver-haired assassin would dodge a combo of punches and elbows from the blonde before landing a quick kick to her side. He would then purposely take a hit from Yang to keep appearances. If anyone truly payed attention to Mercury's past matches they would have possibly been able to notice that Mercury's attacks weren't dealing as much damage to his opponent's aura than they should have.

First of all kicks, were naturally stronger than punches. It's a difference in the amount of muscle and body movement involved with the acts of kicking and punching. Yang was a heavy hitter by all means but against Mercury not even her fists should be able to neutralize the force behind his legs. At least, not without her semblance involved. The fact that he was able to down someone of Yatsuhashi's size so quickly should have attested to his strength.

Yang knocked my friend off of the coliseum platform, but a quick blast from his boots allowed him to avoid losing by ring-out, the bloody show off.

After his recovery, Mercury appeared to have gotten more serious. His attacks held a bit more power behind them, and after sending Yang away with a jumping back kick he set up for what I assumed to be the grand finale. Mercury created what could almost be called a tornado of wind-infused dust rounds that circled the arena at his whim. The moment that Yang wasn't deterred by her surroundings she charged him. I couldn't say it was the wrong move in the scenario she was placed in. She wanted to put pressure on him before he could push another offensive.

Sadly it wasn't the best move either. Mercury sent her up into the air with a well placed kick only to meet her in the air and catapult her back down. The moment she crashed into the floor the whirlwind of dust rounds converged on her downed form. It was honestly an impressive performance on Mercury's part, he even walked away from his opponent as if the battle was won. If he included just one more shell it would have been over.

My eyes glanced at their remaining aura. Mercury sat at a comfy seventy while Yang had a mere eighteen, three away from being considered unable to continue. Of course this was what we wanted.

An explosion of flame emerged from where Yang fell, her hair was ablaze, eyes red, and the fury she held was evident in how tense her muscles were. She burst forth faster than ever before, and Mercury threw one last kick at his opponent. But Yang shrugged it off as if she wasn't even hit, false panic was visible in Merc's eyes.

I couldn't help but look at the aura readings one last time. Mercury's last kick lowered Yang's aura by exactly two points, the cheeky shit.

Yang's flurry of punches drained the rest of Mercury's aura, her last fist lifted my silver-haired friend off the ground and the visible shatter of his aura could be seen by everyone in the arena.

"What an amazing first round, Yang Xiao Long is the winner!"

My eyes shot towards Emerald, her gaze was directed at Yang as she let her semblance have its way with her. I don't know what it was that Emerald made the blonde firecracker see, but the results were exactly what we wanted.

Mercury just managed to stand up off the ground gasping for breath after his 'defeat' only for Yang to come up to him, eyes red once more, and send a shotgun shell infused punch crashing down on his right leg. The sickening crunch that followed left everyone in the arena speechless.

Showtime.

My semblance blinked me forth right in front of Yang, she looked as if she was yelling something at Mercury but I didn't bother listening to what it was. My role was to defend my defenseless teammate after he was mutilated in what was supposed to be a friendly tournament between schools.

My fist made contact with Yang's cheek, causing the blonde too stumble back a bit before she prepped her gauntlets for another fight. My chakrams were summoned to my hands the instant after I punched her, as I stood in front of my fallen comrade.

"The hell! I was just giving him what he deserved Blue!"

The look I gave her could have probably made some people I met in the darker parts of Vale shit themselves.

"You no longer have the right to call me by any sort of nickname after what you just did Xiao Long, he was defenseless and without aura. Do you really have so little self control that you would strike a beaten opponent?"

I brought my weapons up, ready to attack at any moment.

"Yang Xiao Long, Athrun Crocell, step down!"

A squad of Atlesian Knights and two soldiers marched onto the arena floor, weapons ready to open fire. However, not a single one of them was pointed my direction. The encirclement they made surrounded only Yang.

"We know you were just trying to protect your friend, and that's honourable of you. But we'll handle things from here. Go make sure he's okay," whom I assumed to be the commanding officer told me.

With a final glare at Yang I nodded at the soldier before crouching by my friend.

"What? Why?"

Her question was ignored, and I knelt beside Mercury as Emerald ran up to him, concern written all over her face. We were all too good at acting.

"Why'd she do that? Why'd she attack me!" Mercury choked out as he clutched his leg. He really knew how to play the audience, that's for sure.

Emerald placed a comforting hand on his shoulder while her other hand snaked around his head and drew him into her shoulder next to her breast. For once I wasn't the one on the receiving end of her blood-red glare.

Yang was speechless, in her mind she did nothing wrong and defended herself. But in reality she crippled a man for life with no provocation. At least that would have been the case if it wasn't for Mercury's special situation. I saw her watch the replay of events and how everyone else saw her attack a defenseless man.

The moment she made eye contact with the rest of her team and saw the shock and horror in their eyes I knew the first phase of the plan was a complete success.

Emerald called for some help, and with the use of her semblance she was able to trick the two paramedics into seeing a mangled mess of gore instead of the cybernetics which made up Mercury's right leg.

We followed them to the docking center, mainly to ensure that Emerald's semblance didn't waver. It didn't take much convincing from our part. After mentioning we were his teammates and that Emerald was Mercury's girlfriend they let us come with them without any complaints.

"We have an airship ready over here!"

I could recognize that voice from anywhere. The paramedics faced towards the source of the voice and sure enough Cinder was standing there. I'm not ashamed to admit she looked good in a nurse outfit.

"Thank Oum you were able to get here so fast. This boy needs to get to the hospital, fast."

Cinder smiled at the two paramedics. "We'll take good care of him." She then turned towards Emerald and I. "Are you two his friends?"

We nodded in confirmation.

"I'm sure you're worried about him, we'll take you along as well. Hurry inside."

We didn't need to be told twice. We were inside the airship right behind Mercury. We didn't even bother offering our thanks to the two men that carried Mercury inside and I'm sure they didn't mind. To them we were too concerned with our 'hurt' friend to mind our manners.

The moment we took off, Mercury dropped his whole injured act.

"Oh doc, will I ever walk again?"

Emerald didn't care for Mercury's jokes at the moment and slugged his shoulder.

"Hey! What gives?"

"Headache… one mind I can handle but two is a stretch," the thief complained.

"Well I must say you all performed marvelously this day. Driver included."

I didn't notice at first, but once Cinder pointed out that there was someone else driving the airship I saw two black twintails jutting from the sides of the driving seat. I'd recognize that disguise from anywhere.

The moment I walked up to the driver seat and looked into the green eyes of the person driving the airship my words failed me.

Neo was the one driving us, she was in her Noire persona which followed some form of gothic lolita theme, but that wasn't relevant at the moment. What was important was that she was here, and I could finally try and talk things out with her.

Or at least that's what I hoped we could accomplish, but the nonchalant way she looked back towards the sky as she piloted the airship shattered the small amount of hope that I had in my heart. My determination wavered, but after mentally punching myself I gathered the last remaining dredges of courage left within me.

"You don't have to answer me, just please listen to what I have to say."

As expected Neo gave me no inclination that she was listening to me, but that didn't matter.

"I just want to say I am sorry. I hurt you, I didn't pay attention to you and the way you felt about my fake relationship with Weiss." A brief pause followed as I collected my thoughts. "When you first saw us together and later when we tried to talk about it I was on a sort of high from the fight at Vale and the fact that I honestly was enjoying my time with Weiss."

That last line caused Neo to grip the wheel of the airship tighter. The tension in the air could be felt by everyone in the airship, not even Mercury or Emerald were bickering between each other. It wouldn't surprise me if Cinder was watching just out of amusement.

"However, I realized a relationship I started for the sake of a mission isn't nearly as important than the family that took me in when I had nothing. I'm not very good with expressing myself like this, and I refuse to try and use some nice and suave words to try and patch things up between us. You deserve better than just words. This group here," I stretched my arms out wide. "All of you are more important to me than anyone else. Neo, you're more important to me than anyone else. You're my best friend, maybe even something more than that. And I would always do whatever I can to help you. If you decide to forgive me, then you know how to contact me. I'll be waiting."

She still refused to acknowledge me, but I think I saw her body relax ever so slightly at my words. It could have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but it made me feel all the better.

The moment I sat in a chair besides Mercury and Emerald, the green-haired thief actually glanced my way with compassion for once. Mercury, well…

"That was quite the show to watch. Dumping the Ice Queen and already gunning for some Ice Cream. Hope things go well for you."

"Fuck off, Merc."

* * *

I thought today couldn't have been more strenuous but somehow I am always proved wrong. After the blow-out which emerged from the first round of the Vytal Festival Finals, Weiss had been constantly messaging my scroll trying to get into contact with me. I finally said I could meet up with her after having stabilized Mercury's condition.

The designated meeting place was Beacon's courtyard. I arrived long before our scheduled rendezvous but I hid from plain sight. The reason being that Weiss would also arrive early and I wanted to see what she would do.

For the past hour she sat there, waiting for me. It still hurt knowing I've toyed with her so much, even if I did harbor feelings for her it wouldn't work. I've made my choice, and I have my path, and although I care for her another face comes to mind as well who I want to help and protect. It confused me and made me feel dirty having feelings for two different women, but again, she belonged on one side, and I on the other. Eventually things would come to light and we would separate much more painfully.

"Weiss," I called out as left my hiding place and walked towards her.

Her eyes lit up with concern and joy as she ran up to me. Her arms enveloped me in a hug full of warmth which didn't help the guilt at all. I really have too much of a conscience sometimes.

"I'm so glad you're here. I can't offer enough apologies for Yang's actions. She tried to say that Mercury attacked her first but we all saw what happened. I played the recording for her multiple times and forced her to see the truth. The consequences of her actions were made clear. Ruby and Blake said I was a little rough on her, but I believe I wasn't tough enough. We trusted her to represent Beacon, to represent our team. Then what does she do? She maims someone, someone on your team!"

Those crystal blue eyes of hers looked up at me. "Will he be okay?"

I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. When Weiss saw the action she didn't even bother taking out a handkerchief, she just used her sleeve, her pristine white sleeve was used to wipe the blood that trailed down my lip to my chin and she didn't care in the slightest. I tuned out her words of concern.

"The doctors aren't sure about his leg yet. The worst case scenario is that it might need to be amputated. Even if that doesn't happen he's going to have permanent nerve damage and his future career as a Hunter is now gone. It's going to remain as a lost dream for the rest of his life." My voice was void of emotion as the rehearsed lines left my mouth. It was sad how easy the lie left from my tongue.

I could see Weiss visibly shake at my words and her lips trembled slightly. It's time for me to put the final nail in the coffin.

"Yang ruined my best friend. I thought of her as my friend, Weiss, I viewed all of you in Team RWBY as my friends. You were something more, but now it's hard." Tears started to collect in the corners of me eyes. "I've known Mercury for a long time. I had nothing but he helped me get back up on my feet. This is hard for me to take in right now and I know all you want to do is help me, to help us."

I step away from her, keeping her an arms distance away.

"But I can't accept that help right now. I need some time to think things through and come to term with what happened. I'm sorry, but please just let me be for a little bit."

Weiss grabbed her right arm with her left hand and I could again see the small stain that my blood left on her outfit. She looked up to me and smiled, such an understanding smile graced her face.

"It's okay Athrun, I trust you."

Those words broke me. It wouldn't have been possible for me to know exactly when it happened. The tears that threatened to escape ran freely down my face, and soon afterwards my legs collapsed from under me and I found myself on my knees. The tears wouldn't stop, and although no sobs left my throat it probably just made the sight look all the more pitiful. The pain I felt behind my actions was tearing me apart. Despite having placed Neo and the others above my relationship with Weiss, it hurt. I wasn't a man to back down once I made a decision, but It hurt me more than it should have to do this. I wouldn't stop though, my position was clear.

She didn't even bother asking why the tears fell from my face. Weiss knelt down beside me and brought my head down onto her chest instinctively, and so I continued to cry. I cried freely for what felt like hours in the arms of the woman that unknowingly broke me with her trust and compassion. For this was going to be goodbye.

* * *

"I'm in position, everything is clear on this end," I spoke into the receiver.

"Good, let me know if anyone starts to act suspiciously. The typical interlopers bought my excuse of watching the finals because Mercury asked me, but the bimbo's sister seems dead set on proving her sister's innocence, damn brat."

Emerald wasn't wrong. Even though there was no evidence to suggest otherwise, Ruby still strived to prove that Yang committed her action out of self defense. Sadly for her, every recording shows otherwise, and with that incident being the first time Emerald has used her semblance during the plan there shouldn't be anyone that suspected an outside influence to have been a part of the act.

"I'll keep an eye out for Red, she seems to be content watching the android face off against the Invincible Girl." I could see the look of discomfort on the small girl's face. "For now, that is. If the situation changes you'll be informed."

It was annoying having to keep tabs on everyone in the arena. The security screens in front of me gave me full view of almost the entire stadium. I was an attentive guy, but there's a reason why more than one person was stationed at these things. The system had a couple blind spots and there was a lack of surveillance in the bathrooms, but that was to be expected and within our calculations. My eyes glanced back at the two guards from Atlas taking a nice nap tied up in the corner. The poor guys didn't even know what hit them.

"Just make sure you don't screw things up on your end. This is it," Emerald's hushed voice echoed in my ear.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm just as much of a professional as the rest of you," I voiced back.

My fellow thief didn't even bother replying. A slight chuckle was all I heard before the line went dead on her end. Thus I was left alone to make sure no one tried to interrupt Pyrrha from fighting Atlas's creation.

The fact they made a machine with aura capabilities was worrisome. However, the fact that it looked like a harmless girl was disgusting. If they could make more of them and hide them as normal humans then there would be no telling what Atlas could do. The implications were endless.

On the bright side, it looked as if Atlas's pet project suffered from some of the same disadvantageous that people face. That being experience. The machine was skilled but Pyrrha was more experienced in the forms of combat. The way she weaved in between all of her opponents attacks was impressive. I honestly don't think I'd be able to take her in a one-on-one encounter. She was recognized as a champion-level fighter repeatedly for a reason. Her combat skills were well above everyone else in her year and probably the following year as well. I wouldn't be surprised if she would be able to beat Mercury only because of his prosthetic legs.

Out of the corner of my vision I could see Emerald's face twist in concentration. It appeared as if she wanted to get this part over with, which was reasonable. The longer we stayed around the better our chances of getting caught were.

The signs that Pyrrha had fallen under Emerald's influence began to show. The champions movements were slightly more sluggish as she began to perceive things that weren't there, and her movements became more panicked and aggressive as well. I had no knowledge as to what she saw but whatever Emerald was doing it worked. Her attacks quickly became more aggressive in nature as well, something that wasn't common in the way she fought. She always held this precise and dignified aura as she fought, but now that was slowly withering away. It wouldn't take long now for this farce to come to an end.

I scanned the audience once more, and noticed Ruby shift around uncomfortably before getting up out of her seat.

"Emerald, Ruby is on the move. I don't think she's suspicious of you, but she might be trying to pull something. Things are clear over here, heading over to intercept."

"Understood, the ditz might be trying to talk to someone in charge to stop the fight if she doesn't suspect me. You've mentioned she's been seen around the robot before, do you think she might know what it is?"

"Possible, not going to take any chances." I cut the transmission and pulled my mask over my face. If Ruby was going to make her way to some form of official or try to enter the arena herself she'd most likely go through corridor D. Luckily for me, that's a much shorter distance for me than Ruby.

It only took me a minute to reach my destination, corridor D was a narrow pathway with only two ways in and out. One direction led to a split that would take combatants down to the designated waiting area or to the commentary box, which meant Ruby would only be able to come through the other door.

I was proven right when just a few moments later her petite form popped through the door. She had yet to face my direction, but when she closed the door behind her an automated lock activated with just a simple tap from my scroll. She jumped slightly in surprise before her gaze trained on me.

The way her mouth gaped open in surprise and some amount of fear made me pity her. She always had to stick her nose into everything.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked, as she lowered her center of gravity.

It was obvious she was planning on using her semblance, and the question was just thrown out for me to be caught unaware by her speed. Of course she may have been genuinely curious too.

"I'd advise you to not use your semblance to blitz by me." My left hand reached behind and plucked at one of the many steel wires I set up as an impromptu net. The lighting made it difficult to notice them, plus the wires I use are typically invisible threads anyways. "If you did, I wouldn't be able to guarantee the state of your body."

It didn't take long for her to realize what would happen to her if she tried. Her objective was blocked, the way she came was no longer accessible to her. Thus she went for the only option she had left.

A single dust round left NightWing, destroying Ruby's scroll the moment she had it in her hands.

"Sorry, can't have you calling for help Red. Why don't you just sit tight and wait the match out? I promise to let you go the moment it ends," I told Ruby, holstering my weapon in a show of sincerity.

"I can't do that. Two of my friends are fighting right now in this match and one of them can seriously get hurt if this continues. I know this is a combat tournament but it could be a matter of life and death."

I was shocked to see Ruby use her semblance, not in a last ditch effort to attack me, but to come up to me and clasp her hands over mine.

"My friend Athrun told me about how you saved that one lady that night we fought against each other. You wouldn't do that if you were truly a bad guy. Please, let me save my friend Penny," Ruby begged. Her eyes showed me that she believed that I would let her go. Maybe if the situation was different I would, but…

"There's only one issue, Red," I gently, but firmly pushed Ruby away from me. "The thing you're trying to save is just a machine, a project designed by Atlas to create something with full aura capabilities that they can control without fear. It's a weapon." I took a step forward, Ruby took a step back.

"It's in my and my employer's best interest to expose Atlas' plot so, no. I can't do what you're asking of me. She might have somehow convinced you that it's your friend but that's most likely just a program. It has no blood, no heart, no soul. Therefore I won't lose any sleep when it's dismantled and the world sees what Atlas has been up to."

"You're wrong! She's gentle and just wants to bond and form friendships like everyone else! She has a soul!" Ruby practically screeched at me.

"You naive little girl, how many times do I have to tell you it's a damn machine? They don't have souls. It's all artificial. Fake, for Oum's sake!" An exasperated sigh escaped from my lips, but that was when I noticed something.

"No matter, it's too late for you to change anything anyways." I tapped the screen of my scroll once more and the lock on the door deactivated, as well as my wire trap withdraw, allowing free movement.

She didn't say anything, her semblance activated and the small girl flew by me in a flurry of rose petals. Some sadistic part of me wanted to see if the destruction of her 'friend' would open up her eyes a little to the ways of the world but I quickly discarded it. I needed to move towards the supply block which was located on one of the basement floors of the coliseum and take the shuttle docked for me there away from here, and meet with the others. My part was done.

The sound of Cinder's voice invading the night sky told me that everything went according to plan.

* * *

Following a predetermined route I was almost at my destination when the siren went off, it was a chime that everyone in the city of Vale knew.

There were Grimm in the city.

I sprinted forth, intent on reaching my destination. Why would Grimm be attacking? That wasn't part of the plan.

The next thing to assault my ears were panicked screams, gunfire, and the snarls of Grimm which only led to more questions.

Those sounds could only mean that Grimm have reached the colosseum somehow, but the only Grimm which could accomplish such a feat would be Nevermore's and Griffins. However, that snarl I just heard came from a Beowolf. My ears were then assaulted to the growls of Ursa as well. What the hell was happening?

Part of me wanted to turn back, but that would be putting myself in needless risk. Even if I were to turn back and potentially help fight off some of the Grimm I would still be arrested on site. The risks just weren't worth it. So I pressed forward. I ignored the screams and told myself someone else would help them even as they grew more and more consistent.

My destination should just be around this corner. I made the turn-

And was sent catapulting back into a wall. I found it hard to breathe and this sensation of pain in my stomach overwhelmed me. What the fuck happened?

My eyes looked up as I picked myself back onto my feet, and I couldn't believe who stood before me.

"Mercury, what the hell?" I managed to choke out.

Right before my eyes was one of my best friends. His right leg just touched the ground after the devastating blow he dealt to me, and the usual smug look on his face was nonexistent. Instead he bore the face of a professional, a butcher.

The question didn't even needed to be asked. The answer hit me the moment the words left my mouth.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this Athrun, but Cinder's decided that you wouldn't be able to fit into our little group anymore," Mercury began to explain.

It was easy enough to see…

"She doesn't like loose ends."

* * *

 **A/N: I just want to make one thing clear after a review I received. It's not a bad one. Honestly it just proved they like the story. However, don't make an assumption of how this story is going to turn through the ends of this chapter. It's called** Not Everyone's a Hero **for a reason. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter ^.^**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Not even going to try to come up with excuses. Everyone should know how bad I am at updating by now, hopefully the longer than normal chapter will help keep people from being too upset with me. Leave a review or pm with your thoughts/questions and thanks for sticking with me.**

 **Also I gotta thank my beta for always helping out despite how long it always takes for me to send them anything xP**

* * *

My mind blanked. I wanted this all to be a bad dream, some horrible prank that would end with a hard pat on the back and a cheeky smile telling me to loosen up. However, I knew that wasn't going to happen.

The only thing keeping my body moving right now was pure instinct. Although my mind refused to process the reality of the situation, my body knew that if I didn't move, I was going to die.

Mercury's spinning roundhouse barely missed my temple, but he effortlessly converted it into a sweep at my legs using the rest of his momentum. The combination nicked my ankle and almost caused me to fall flat on my ass. Mercury's always been just a little bit too fast for me to follow properly and the shock still permeating through my head didn't help me.

The dull pain I felt as my body failed to twist out of the way of his sidekick awoke something within me. A man that I considered my best friend, one of the closest things akin to family to me, was trying to kill me. Mercury was going to kill me. Slaughter me as if I was nothing more than cattle like he's done to probably countless others.

I've been through far too much to accept that sort of reality.

My hands tightened around the grips of NightWing and when I ducked under his leg my weapon traced an arc towards his thighs. Attacking below the knees would be pointless, I wouldn't be able to properly deal any damage, but If I could debilitate his thighs somehow then I could have a chance at winning no matter how small it would be. At the very least it would give me the chance to attempt some form of escape.

Of course, succeeding was another story all together. It was effortless, the way Mercury evaded my attempt at crippling him. Even if I did hit him, he still had the full store of his aura available to him.

Again, winning was almost within the realms of impossibility. I've trained with Mercury enough to know the difference between our skills was too far for me to surmount without some form of divine intervention. My eyes glanced past him, towards my objective. The two bullheads that I could use to fly out of this piss-poor scenario were within reach, but Mercury never failed to keep himself between me and my means of escape. My semblance could only help me so much too. Theoretically I could blink past him and try to make a run for the bullhead, but then he'd just follow me into whichever of the two vehicles I move into and then I'm stuck fighting him in a tighter space. Something which I needed to avoid at all costs.

That was one of the key weaknesses of my semblance. I wasn't capable of just blinking straight into the cockpit. I'm incapable of blinking through solid objects in such a manner and Mercury knew that, and running back where I came from would just get me noticed by the Grimm and Atlas military personnel. The fact remained that there was no easy way out of this.

"It took you long enough to wake up and come to terms with reality, Athrun. I didn't want to kill you while you were in such a sad state. Really, it almost made me want to coddle you instead. Think of this as a show of goodwill towards an old friend," the silver-haired betrayer chided.

My blood boiled at hearing 'friend'. How dare he use that term towards me? He knew how much I appreciated the second chance given to me by him and Cinder. The fact they took advantage of me to such an extent left me bitter, oh so bitter.

"It's funny that you would use that word, 'friend'. All I wanted was to have somewhere I belong again, to no longer feel the empty void that plagued me. The time I spent with all of you had its ups and downs. I didn't like nor agree with all of your methods but I reluctantly went through with them because that didn't matter to me. Not nearly as much as the feeling of having a home again did. I wanted to be friends with all of you." My chest started to convulse just a little before full-blown laughter erupted from my throat.

"So this is what it comes down to, huh? Tell me, does Cinder have any last words for me?"

My words didn't even phase the butcher, he merely waited an extra second to see if I was finished. Once he confirmed I was done the answer I demanded flew carelessly out of his mouth.

"Thank you for your service, please die quietly."

That was all she had to say to me. "Heh, curt and to the point. Well maybe you're the one that will be put six feet under when you report your failure. I'm sure she'd love to hear about that."

We both tensed up simultaneously, looking for any sort of sign which would give away the planned action of the other.

The subtle shift on the grip of my chosen weapon caused Mercury to bolt forward. I had no time to even attempt to go with my original plan of trying to lower his aura just a margin with any sort of dust round. My weapon wouldn't finish transforming before he reached me. So I merely threw one of my blades at him instead.

It was one of my favored moves, and one Mercury knew that well, but the brief moment that it took for him to shift out of the path of my thrown weapon allowed me to raise my right arm to block the crescent-axe kick and the subsequent follow-up strike. The force behind it sent waves of pain through my arms and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if I blocked too many more then I'd quickly lose feeling in them altogether. But this was the only way I could think of to land an early blow on my more skilled opponent.

My right arm wrapped around his leg and locked it up under my armpit. Dust activated and coursed through my clothes. I wasn't sure how the electric dust would affect Mercury through his legs but my hope was to short circuit one of his prosthetics. If you're less skilled and not as powerful as your opponent, then cheap tricks are all that's left.

A sudden impacted rammed into the side of my head. Stars invaded my vision and the blow to my head instinctively caused me to release the hold I had on Mercury's leg. I reeled in my thrown weapon with my wires in a bid to buy me some time. The familiar weight encompassed my grip as both arms crossed in front of me just in the knick of time. My arms smashed into my chest as I was sent hurtling backwards. If I didn't put up my hasty block the fight may have been finished right there. Hell it might be finished within the next couple seconds. I could barely feel my arms and my aura wouldn't be able to handle much more.

It took no time at all for Mercury to push his offensive. Once again I found myself just barely managing to evade his kicks, but I couldn't keep dodging forever. This stalemate would end the moment one of us began to tire, or when a mistake in movement was made. Unfortunately for me, neither option favored me.

A memory of a blazing fist entered my mind for a moment. Yes, that could work...

Both of my weapons flew out of my hands but not at Mercury. I would have preferred to sheathe them but doing so would take a millisecond too long. My steel wires came free and I made a net with them between my hands. Mercury's left leg got caught in my trap, and although I felt his leg tug and try to pull me down I was able to keep myself upright and in control. The force from his kick dispelled between the threaded mesh I made.

"How about you piss off!"

With both hands occupied, my left leg shot up and my boot found itself buried into Mercury's chin. I didn't even relish in the immense satisfaction my first clean hit gave me as it lifted him off the ground. If I did, then I would lose my chance.

I blinked forward before Mercury was even able to finish correcting his position. Although my blades may be out of my reach after I discarded them, there were other tools at my disposal. Tools that the man before me had gifted.

My chakrams came to my hand and, with a quick spin to add more, force flew freely. Mercury managed to lift his arms up in a hasty guard. His vambraces blocked the spinning edges of the weapons but from the way his face scrunched up it still hurt and hopefully took a chunk out of his aura. I know that I didn't have much left.

The weapons came back to my hands with ease, and I blinked once more throwing a chakram from behind Mercury, then I would blink to his side and throw the other one. The cycle was randomized so he couldn't guess where I was going to attack him from unless he got lucky, which could happen, but was unlikely.

The way beads of sweat formed on the brow of the man sent to kill me excited me. It was a feeling I was unaware of, and honestly should have filled me with disgust.

The fact remained that I was enjoying that Mercury couldn't find a way to fight back, he was caught in a cage of flying steel. The curvature of the weapons flight patterns made it all the more difficult to protect how they would come to torment him. Even if he did get lucky I managed to recover NightWing as I weaved my assault. If he manages something then I could blink close and catch him off guard.

Both chakrams found themselves in my hands once more, this time they would come at him from a thirty and sixty degree angle. Then I'd close in and finish this. Make a new identity for myself and start fresh.

That was when my weapons exploded.

Pain filled my senses as I was knocked sideways. My mind couldn't even process what happened. All I know was that I needed to get up. The moment my hands touched the ground to push me up I collapsed. A howl of pain escaped from my lips, and that was the moment I saw the state of my hands.

They were mangled and covered in blood. My gloves were torn to pieces and I could see metal bits protruding from the palm of my left hand. My right luckily avoided the same fate but was still horribly injured.

"Ah, you were really throwing me into a bind there Athrun, I gotta give it to you. You played to your strengths and my known weaknesses. I was about to have to use my own semblance, but that's when I remembered something."

A hand grabbed a fistfull of my hair and hoisted me up off the ground before throwing me hard against a wall. A steel-toed boot slammed against my chest and the air in my lungs left me for a moment as I tried to intake oxygen. My eyes eventually met Mercury's, the frustration in them as he dealt with my previous offensive was now gone.

"I made your weapons Athrun, and Cinder made sure that when I designed them that we had some sort of insurance for if the situation came that we would have to eliminate you. To put it simply, a small crystal of unrefined dust that I could detonate at my leisure. You got lucky though, I was sure you would get off a lot worse than you did. Must have had more aura left than I accounted for," Mercury looked at my left hand. "Not that you got out without injury."

"If you're done, then can you just end this. I'm tired of everything. For a second I thought there might have been a chance that I could have gotten out of this." Those words were the truth. I was without aura, and couldn't safely use my semblance. Reaching for NightWing wouldn't do me any good since I couldn't even wrap my hands around the handles of my blades with the state my hands were in. Instead of trying to defeat Mercury, I should have taken the opportunity my advantage gave me to escape. I've lost.

Moisture gathered at the corners of my eyes, no matter how hard I fought against the tears. Mercury's hand reached down and grasped onto the mask on my face. I couldn't let him see my face, not like this.

My head started twisting erratically as I tried to rip my mask from his grip but all I managed to do was help him in the end. The mask fell from my face due to my movements.

"Son of a bitch, you're making this harder than it needs to be."

By this point it wasn't possible for me to hold the tears back any more. Honestly, I've cried more in the past week than I have in years. The pressure on my chest disappeared when Mercury's lifted his foot up and readied himself to deliver the final blow. I could see the fine details of his boot as well as the chamber which held the dust round that would end my life.

Maybe death wouldn't be too bad? I probably deserve it, although it wasn't my intention I inadvertently helped cause this disaster, the creatures of Grimm which were slaughtering innocents, the blood they spilt was on my hands.

If only I could go to the same place they were at, Kira and Sasha. However, while they most likely rest in the heavens I'm going to be cast aside in the depths of hell. I probably wouldn't be able to look them in the eye if I ever saw them in the afterlife anyways.

When he let his foot fly two more faces appeared before me, one had skin as white as snow with hair to match. Her crystal blue eyes pierced into me, and a small scar was the only thing that marred her otherwise flawless face, but if anything it only accented her beauty. The other belonged to girl that I've known for years. For as long as I've known her appearance was always flawless, not a single blemish ever on her face. She had heterochromic eyes but in my mind they gave way to what I believed was their natural color of white. They were both people that I cared about and it was the thought of them that made me realize something.

I didn't want to die.

The sound of shattered porcelain filled my eardrums. It took me a second to realize it wasn't my skull that cracked open as I saw my mask shatter in air.

"What are you doing?" It took more effort than what I would have liked for me to not choke as the words spilled from my lips.

"My job. I was instructed to kill the Blue Hawk which I have just successfully done," Mercury curtly replied.

It made no sense to me.

"Are you just fucking playing with me? If so then-"

"Shut up and let me speak!"

The silver-haired assassin interrupted me with such abrupt force that even in my addled state I found myself listening to him.

"Athrun, let me tell it to you straight. I don't want to kill you. You're a loose end according to Cinder and in the end we came to the decision that you would never truly be able to fit in. You're too good of a person, Athrun."

I wanted to argue that I could have dealt with it, that I could have fit in but he was right. If I could barely come to terms that we caused the breach then there was no chance I would have accepted their other plans. Not if they were going to be anything like what happened today.

"Hell, us becoming friends wasn't even supposed to happen. Cinder told me not to get too involved with you. That's why she sent me to come kill you, it was a test of loyalty on my part. Even to those that have been with her for a couple years she still deems it necessary to watch them."

"Then why are you still with her, Merc?" I couldn't help but ask the question. It almost sounded as if he didn't care for Cinder, or at the very least found himself annoyed with her.

"I'm in too deep, Athrun. I can't just leave, anyone that gets involved with her can't just leave. Besides," Mercury's face relaxed slightly. "There's someone I gotta look after."

It dawned on me the moment the words were spoken.

"Emerald, you love Emerald."

"Please, as if anyone would give half a shit for someone like her." The small smile on his face as he spoke about his partner said otherwise.

So it would be impossible to make Mercury leave with me then, but I still had questions I wanted answered.

"If you were going to let me go then what was the point of us fighting? I was genuinely trying to kill you in the end!"

He shrugged off the fact that I was going for his life so easily, as if it didn't concern him one bit.

"And I needed you to. I had to put up a believable act for when I returned to Cinder. She at least acknowledged your skills and cunning which is also part of the reason why I was sent instead of Emerald. You could have won against Em, not me. To be frank though, if I actually wanted you dead then you would have been dead after the first blow. Seriously, what assassin gets the drop on someone and then waits for them to recuperate? Luckily for the both of us, Cinder thinks that I enjoy playing with my food too much to just go for the easy kill. Returning with the injuries you gave me, plus this..." He picked up a piece of my now shattered mask.

"That should be enough to convince her that you're dead. But you also can't show your face around her or anyone she's associated with ever again. The sad thing is you have no clue how deep her connections are."

Mercury knelt beside me, my eyes drifted to his pockets as he pulled out some bandage wraps and disinfectant.

"This is going to hurt like a bitch."

I nodded in confirmation, as he pulled the warped piece of metal from my left hand. I probably should have let myself scream, but the little bit of pride I held made me refuse. I've already cried in front of Merc, I wasn't going to let him hear me scream like that too.

Blood flowed freely, as he quickly applied the disinfectant, the alcohol caused my wound to sting but it was more bearable then when he pulled the metal out of my hand. The bandage was applied quickly after. Who knew that the assassin would be so well versed in emergency first aid?

"That should do for now. Still try to get it looked at by someone better though. If you can, that is. If Cinder catches whiff of you then I won't be able to fake your death, I'll probably be killed alongside you, so try to stay off the radar." Mercury tried to chuckle at the mention of our shared demise but I couldn't find the humor in it.

"Then you may be better of killing me. If Cinder's connections are as far spread as you say they are, then I don't think I can avoid detection. Let's face the facts, I don't have the resources that she does, not by myself," I told him. Yet for some reason he still gave me a look as if everything was going to be okay.

"Heh, you're such a pessimist, can't blame you though. Let me tell you something." He had that familiar smirk on his face, and seeing that gave me faith that maybe things would work out.

"You don't have to be alone. There are two other individuals that aren't deep within Cinder's organization that she's planning on cutting lose when we're done in Vale. Luckily for them she doesn't find it necessary to kill them. They also didn't know about her plan to end you."

"Neo, and Roman…" Their names were little more than whispers out of my mouth, but I could feel the edges of my lips twitch up slightly. Looking back I would never admit that having Roman on my side would in any circumstance make me feel joy.

Mercury helped me onto my feet, before pulling me into a loose hug. I appreciated how mindful he was of my injuries. Although my hands suffered the worst, there were several scrapes and cuts which littered my body, and the pain which accompanied his kicks from earlier still lingered.

"Just please promise me something. Don't do anything stupid like trying to get back at Cinder," Mercury whispered into my ear.

"What do you mean?"

The man clicked his teeth in response.

"I know how you are, you might be a good guy but you have a vindictive streak. You get even. It was evident since the day I met you, but it's not worth it this time, Athrun. Cinder is about to hold more power than you can even dream. It would take too long for me to explain. We both need to go our separate ways. When you find a safe place try to grab intel on the four maidens. You'll understand then."

The four maidens meant nothing to me, but it was important enough for Mercury to give me this last warning. I wanted to listen to him, but I wasn't sure if that would be possible.

"Will she cause what happened here elsewhere? If so then it won't matter where I go, business will be tough."

"I can't say if it would be as extreme as what happened here in Vale, but plans do exist for the other kingdoms," Mercury responded.

I separated myself from the man who risked the ire of his employer for me.

"It would have been great if this could have been done in a less drastic way, but the fact you're doing this for me at risk to yourself is enough. Thank you, Merc. But I can't promise anything. I will at least try to make sure that neither of us dies due to my actions."

My eyes conveyed my message better than my words probably did. With a small sigh the assassin relented.

"Yeah, that's how I thought things would turn out. Now get on one of those bullheads and get your ass out of here. Neo and Roman should be on the General's main ship if you plan on meeting up with them. Better move fast, things are about to get even worse."

Despite my curiosity, as to how things could possibly get worse I decided to just take his word for it. It was an arduous process, slowly making my way to the cockpit of one of the two bullheads, Mercury occupied the other one and took off before I even sat down in the seat of my own. My hands burned in protest when they grabbed onto the controls, the bandage wraps which covered my wounded hands were already stained a deep red. I was starting to fear that I may end up light headed and pass out while I flew the bullhead.

What greeted my eyes when I managed to get the hunk of metal airborne filled me with dread. Grimm were everywhere. Nevermores, and griffins littered the sky. The only thing working in my favor was that they were more attracted to the despair felt by the common citizen than my own anxiety.

That was when I saw it. A hulking beast unlike any other grimm that has invaded my vision. It was massive, and looked like a dragon from fantasy novels. Unlike the dragons from those books which gave off a presence of regal power and dominance, this was a creature that evoked fear and despair. It's presence almost caused me to forget all about piloting the bullhead, luckily I came to my senses in time to stop myself from just falling out of the sky.

Cold sweat poured down my brow, I needed to focus. The Grimm dragon wasn't important, no, my objective was. It already flew past me and so long as it doesn't try to come back my way then there's no reason to give it a second glance. Not giving that thing a second glance, Oum almighty.

Just gotta keep things cool, Ironwood's ship was the only one in the air at this time, probably due to Neo and Roman's interference. It was easy to spot the large flagship. The dragon Grimm already flew past it. With a little bit of luck there should be no more surprises on my way to the only two people that I could hopefully still call my allies.

As my bullhead approached the hulking airship, it caught my attention that there were three people fighting on the hull of the ship. Two of them were easily picked out due to the scheme of their clothing, but the last one caught me off guard.

Ruby Rose was trying to fight Roman and Neo at once, and it wasn't going well for her. That iconic scythe of hers was planted in the side of the airship and was the only thing stopping her from taking a plummet to her death.

"She always gets involved somehow," I muttered under my breath.

My intentions shifted to trying to get the wannabe hero away from the two experienced criminals, but the girl must have the devil's own luck. The moment Neo was going to plunge her blade into her, the red hooded huntress in training opened up Neo's umbrella.

Forget trying to save Red. The intense winds managed to carry Neo off of the airship and into the night sky. I wrenched the wheel to the side and changed the bullheads trajectory to save the woman that was now defenseless in skies filled with the creatures of grimm. Thank Oum that she wasn't being carried away too fast. It only took me a scant couple of seconds to catch up to her.

The moment the bullhead maneuvered under Neo a loud thud rang out as she dropped on top of the craft. I instantly flipped the switch which opened one of the hanger doors and began to move us back towards Roman. Once my course of travel has been corrected. I swiveled my chair around to check on Neo's condition.

It was just in the nick of time too. If I was a second later she might have speared me right through. Her blade was just a mere centimeter from my throat, and her eyes turned a faint white in surprise, before she dropped her umbrella and looked at me in shock, happiness, and then concern as she noticed my wounds and most importantly my hands.

It was too difficult for me to hold back the wince of pain as she grabbed my left hand. The blood of which now saturated the bandage wrap so heavily that it started to drip through the patch job Mercury applied. A couple droplets fell onto her pristine clothes, staining them.

I knew she wanted to know what happened, but now wasn't the time nor place. We needed to get back to Roman, and I needed to somehow stop a fifteen year old girl from burying herself in an early grave.

I tried to wave her concerns away. "Later Neo, I promise."

Her eyes were full of concern, it was hard to believe that we were at the point of not talking to each other not too long ago. But this just proved that we still did care about each other. The way she looked at me also confirmed something else for me.

Neo and Roman truly didn't know about Cinder's ploy to assassinate me. The overwhelming wave of emotion that flooded me upon realizing that consumed me and for what felt like an eternity I couldn't do anything but stare into Neo's sparkling white eyes.

"Thank you for being here."

She obviously wanted to ask why I said that, but she didn't pry. The way her eyes widened up at my words told me she saw noticed something at that moment, and that something was enough for now. That didn't stop her from forcing me out of the cockpit so she could handle the small flight back Ironwood's main airship. The way she asserted herself told me there would be no room for argument on this matter. Not that I would have.

"Red's still putting up a fight I see. Wait… something else is approaching them."

Ruby just didn't seem to know when to stay down. She was without her weapon, and I just saw Roman slam the side of Melodic Cudgel across her head, knocking the defenseless girl off her feet. The two of them were so focussed on each other that they couldn't see the grimm that strayed off from the rest of its pack, making a beeline towards them.

"Neo, step on it and open the side hatch. That griffon is getting too close to them."

With a nod of her head Neo opened the side of the bullhead before placing the craft on autopilot, her small frame joined me as I prepared to jump. The griffin was dangerously close and from what I could see it was larger than the norm.

"You get the grimm, I'll make sure Roman doesn't get himself eaten."

I didn't need to see any form of acknowledgement, Neo would accomplish her task without fail. I just needed to make sure I didn't fuck up on my end. So I jumped.

Roman had his cane hoisted in the air, the griffon and I were both approaching him at high speed, but the grimm was just a bit faster, and was a couple feet closer to the criminal. At this rate I wasn't going to reach him in time.

Using a Semblance without any aura was something that wasn't done. Aura, besides just being a barrier to protect us farm harm and augment our physical capabilities, also allows humans to stabilize the unnatural abilities granted to them by their semblances. That was why some aura is used whenever a semblance was activated. Side effects of trying to force a semblance without your aura varied in intensity by person due to the unique nature of each semblance.

So when I blinked forward, crashing into Roman, everything within my line of sight became blurred. My stomach felt as if it was trying to expel anything that was in it, and intense pain invaded my chest cavity. I couldn't properly breathe.

There was the sensation of someone shaking me as I was laying on the ground, but I couldn't make out their appearance properly. From the general height I'm guessing it was Roman, but whatever he was saying wasn't being processed by my brain. The ringing in my ears wouldn't allow me to hear anything else.

Eventually the sick feeling in my stomach overtook me, and I turned towards the deck and attempted to empty my insides, the stinging in my hands was forgotten. There was no food in my stomach so it was just a mess of me dry heaving. After a couple more seconds past my vision began to clear up and my other senses returned to me.

That was not an experience I was looking forward to repeating.

"Kid, are you okay? Come on, speak up! I know you love to run that mouth of yours."

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay." My voice was hoarse as I croaked out my reply.

"Okay? You look fucking awful, what happened!?"

"Like I told Neo, I'll explain later," speaking of the aforementioned girl she quickly rushed to my side. From the corner of my eye I could see the dissolving body of the griffon that tried to make Roman into a quick meal. Despite all that happened, I smiled. It looks as if I can at least stay with these two. The joy that invaded me caused me to momentarily forget the other person that was with us.

"Athrun? Is that you?"

The small visage of Ruby stared at me in a mixture of horror and concern. The small girl had no clue how to react. Not even someone like her would be able to deny it with the truth slapping them in the face like this.

Here I was, Athrun Crocell. Someone that Ruby considered her friend being looked after by the two criminals she was just fighting. Even worse, although my attire was damaged and my mask gone it was still easy to recognize my garb as the same clothes the Blue Hawk wore.

"Please tell me this is just a really bad joke. You're going to spring up and then help me fight the bad guys, right?"

"Ruby, this is no joke," My body groaned in protest as I tried to get back on my feet. A small, yet steady hand assisted me, and I mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Neo.

"Leave while you have the chance, because if you keep trying to fight these two I can't guarantee your safety."

She clutched the sides of her skirt, her hands balled up into little fists and began to tremble.

"How do I know you're not lying now? You let Penny die! Was my team just a game to you? We trusted you, Weiss loved you!"

Her screams echoed through the grimm infested skies, and after everything I did she deserved answers.

"I've lied countless times, but I will tell you the truth about some things. I could care less about Penny. She was just a machine simulating human emotions, and was something Atlas should have never attempted. Originally your team was just supposed to be a means to an end, but I," Ruby's silver eyes opened up as my yellow ones met hers. A sad smile graced my lips.

"Truly came to like all of you. And Weiss, she became someone I cherished."

"Then why? Why did yo-"

"Because I had to make a choice," I interrupted. "My life as a student was a fleeting fantasy that was destined to end at some point. I was never one of you, Ruby. When it came down to it I put my priorities with whom I already knew and cherished like Neo, maybe even Roman as well. To the family I thought I gained. Karma's a real bitch though, it turned out that I was just another convenient tool for them that has lost its used and tried to kill me." I didn't know what my face looked like at that moment but it was far from pleasant. "You were a fresh of breath air, naive yes, but that innocence was blinding. Now I came to realize that I was naive as well. Cinder came up to me and told me she would change the world. It was my fault for believing it would become a world that would treat those that had nothing like myself better. I never wanted any of this too happen."

Once the words left my mouth Neo began to tremble beside me, Roman was gaping like a fish, and even Ruby looked horrified.

"That flaming bitch really tried to have you killed…"

I nodded in response before turning back to Ruby.

"These two are the only people I have left, so I'll tell you again. Leave, Ruby."

"I can't! They're doing something on this ship and right now I'm the only one that can stop them."

It didn't take long for me to realize what was probably going on. This was Ironwood's main ship.

"Then I will handle that." Surprisingly enough Roman didn't say anything after my declaration.

"How can I trust you to do what you said after everything that's happened?"

"You asking me that question at least tells me you're finally maturing to the ways of the world." In a painstakingly slow manner I hobbled over to the leader of Team RWBY.

"There's something I always try to do, and that's get even. Cinder fucked with me, and although this won't balance out her attempt on my life it's a start." Soon enough we were just mere inches from each other.

"If you can manage to learn one lesson from a shitbag like myself then take heed of this. You're the kind of girl that would try to save everyone, but you need to realize something."

Despite my haggard appearance I was an overbearing force as I gazed down at Ruby.

"It's impossible, Ruby. No matter how hard you try you can't save everyone. Saving one person means letting someone elsewhere perish, because no matter how you look at it you're only one girl."

She kept shaking her head in denial, this poor girl was just too innocent.

"However, even though you can't save everyone you can save those most important to you," those words got her to not just look at me, but to try and understand me.

"Alone there's only so much you can accomplish, but together. Well it only took about six people to plan the disaster going about right now. Surely a couple of justice nuts could do something to change things for the better. Go to your team."

Ruby just walked past the three of us picking up Crescent Rose on the way.

"Tell Weiss I'm sorry," I whispered as she passed by me.

"You can tell her yourself."

Those were the final words exchanged between us as she jumped off the General's airship. Hopefully she doesn't get attacked by grimm along the way. She may be naive to the ways of the world, but she's a good kid with a strong heart.

"Now that you let Red leave, what are you planning to do now Athrun?" Roman asked as he stepped in front of me.

"I already mentioned it. I'm going to be getting even with Cinder, and also," my voice trailed off for a moment as I struggled to find the right words. "I also want to be with the both of you, you're all that I have left."

Roman scratched the back of his head, clearly conflicted.

"Athrun, look. I'm no fan of Cinder. It it were up to me I wouldn't be working with her, but she's dangerous more so than I'll ever be. Do you know what you're doing by trying to pick a fight with her? Just look at yourself! Then you want to drag Neo and I into it too. You gotta look at things from the other perspective. I won't stop you from doing whatever with this ship. My job is done, but I'm grabbing Neo and we're disappearing somewhere she can't catch wind of us."

Neo glared at Roman, but he chose to ignore her

I couldn't help but grimace at his rejection. However, what he said was logical. It was more than enough for me to find out that the two of them had no part in my attempted execution, and the man had his own priorities.

"Then, this is where we part ways I guess."

I gently shrugged Neo's hold on me off, which almost caused me to stumble from the sudden lack of support but I stayed standing, and held my not as badly damaged right hand out to Roman. I've never shook hands with him before, but it only felt right if this was where we would go our separate paths.

"Heh, you won't hear me say this again, but it was good knowing you," Roman reached forward to clasp my hand but a painful slap hit both of our outstretched hands preventing them from meeting.

"How about instead of deciding things with just the two of you, you both listen to what I have to say. And a handshake? Really? Do you not see that state of your hands right now?"

My ears were graced with a voice filled with sass, but at the sametime I couldn't help but find it to be beautiful. That's when it hit me. There was only one other person that was on the airship with Roman and I. The both of us turned towards the owner of the voice in disbelief.

Neo just continued to tap her left foot in annoyance as she glared at the two of us.

"What? Have you never heard a girl speak before? Honestly, the two of you should take what I want into consideration as well instead of deciding everything on your own."

"But I thought you were mute," I looked at Roman in confirmation, and he was looking just as surprised as I was. He didn't seem to know either.

A teasing smirk split across Neo's face. "Just because I never talked didn't mean I couldn't. Everyone just made that assumption, so I rolled with it."

"We've been partners for years! How come you've never said anything to me until now?" Roman asked.

"That's simple, Roman." Neo gave the man her sweetest smile. "Just didn't feel like it."

Knowing that Neo wasn't actually mute just gave me a headache. The entire time I've known her, hell, the entire time Roman's known her she was capable of speak. Who does that? Who purposely pretends their mute for years? The look she gave me told me she could read the thoughts going through my head.

"Yes it was fun while it lasted but the fact that my vocal chords are in perfect condition isn't what's important here. We, and I mean the three of us are not splitting up." Neo declared.

It didn't take much to realize that this wasn't a request from the small statured woman, it was a fact. Even though not too long ago she was avoiding me. She wasn't going to accept any other outcome and that filled me with warmth.

"Listen, I don't know if you were paying attention. Athrun wants to get even with Cinder. If he was willing to leave it after he returns the mechs' control back to Atlas then I'd be more okay with it. He's not though, and that would put us in the line of fire of some lunatic that can throw fire!"

Neo poked Roman in the chest with her umbrella, shutting him up.

"I don't think you're the one that understands. I said that we aren't splitting up, and that's final. If Athrun wants to settle the score with her, that's fine, besides..."

Neo stepped beside me and I could feel how soft her hands were as she gently caressed my cheek before a dangerous glint erupted in her eyes. A gaze that wanted blood.

"I'm tired of being pushed around by her. Cinder needs to learn what happens when she hurts what's mine."

I unconsciously swallowed at Neo's words, completely ignoring the fact she said I belonged to her.

Both Roman and had no words for the small woman, so she rightfully took that as her victory. With a winning smile she directed Roman into the airship with a glance before she assisted me.

Once we were in the bridge of the airship it was simple enough to deactivate the Loki virus. Neo and Roman explained what the virus was doing as we were walking. It was tied to Neo's scroll and removing it from the main terminal should be enough to revert the control Cinder had over the Atlesian Knights. Just needed one thing from it first.

"Alright, we're good."

Upon my confirmation Neo removed her scroll from the mainframe, while I had my own scroll transmitting a very important call. It didn't take long for a deep baritone voice to come through.

"I don't know how you were able to-"

"I've boarded your airship and just finished returning the control of the Atlesian Knights back to you. Hopefully that should help you with the Grimm," I interrupted, right now it was important for Ironwood to take control of the situation on the ground,

"Roman Torchwick was on my ship, I believe he was the one who somehow wrenched control of my forces from me. What's happened to him?"

It was good to see that he was able to focus on more pressing matters than my identity.

"Torchwick has been taken care of."

Hopefully if I kept things curt he wouldn't press for more on the subject.

"I see, if he's still alive then it would be crucial for our success if you could bring him to me. It is still unknown how he managed to escape and hack into our systems. There are other questions that he needs to answer as well."

I guess it was wishful thinking that he would let the matter drop so easily.

"Sorry General, gonna have to respectfully decline your request. Torchwick needs to answer a couple questions for myself and I have a feeling that if I gave him to you it would be very difficult to see him again."

"It may have been phrased as such, but it wasn't a request. This is beyond whatever petty reasons you have to go after Torchwick, something you wouldn't be able to understand. Bring him to me, before I go up and get both Torchwick and you."

How come every person in a position of power has to have a stick up their ass?

"You can kindly go fuck yourself. Even though your machines are once again fighting the Grimm the streets of Vale are still overrun. Given the fact that a good soldier like you should be fighting to save civilians instead of throwing out threats you can't back up I'll call your bluff. If you get up here before I drag myself and Roman into one of the nicely lined-up transports in this airship then you can have us. Have fun on the ground." I ended the call with a sharp tap on the scroll's screen, ignoring the jolt of pain that accompanied the action. Who the hell does he think he is, trying to order me around like that after I gave him access to his damn robots?

"Hmm, that didn't seem to go as you planned it," Roman couldn't help but laugh at how my conversation with the Atlas General deteriorated so quickly.

"I kind of enjoyed aggressive Athrun," Neo chimed from the side. It was difficult to tell if she was being serious or just teasing me as usual, possibly both.

"You both can make fun of me later. The only reason why I called him was because I thought he would be able to better control the situation on the ground if he knew he had control over his forces again. Neo, could you wipe all the video footage on the ship? I don't need soldier boy to be able to identify me, or you for that matter."

"Already done, we're ready to leave whenever you are." Her hands were on her hip and a cheeky grin was on her face.

It was still weird to hear actual sounds besides the occasional chuckle that would escape her lips but it held a captivating charm to it. Despite how everything fell apart today the fact that somehow I would still have the two of them with me was almost enough to make me forget about everything else.

"Perfect, then let's get out of here. Vale's gonna be a shit show after this with everyone at wits end. All the local Huntsman and Huntresses are going to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious so we need a place to lie low until we know our next move."

"Then it's a good thing that I'm here. Take notes kid, it's always good to know a guy for these sort of situations. He might not be the happiest man in the world right now because his business is going to plummet tremendously after this, but he should take us in," Roman informed me as he let a fresh cigar between his lips.

That was all I needed to hear to get a move on. Roman led the way to the docking bay as Neo supported my injured self to one of the many transports on the General's ship. A few moments later we were in the air with Roman at the helm. I wanted to be up front with him, mostly because a part of me desired to see the damage that I inadvertently helped cause to Vale and its citizens. The lives I helped ruin. Neo must have saw my solemn face and refused to let me do so. She argued that I needed to rest and basically forced me to lie down in the back. It would have been useless to argue with her so my body just obeyed to her request. My head found itself on her lap as she softly ran her fingers through my hair.

"Neo… if you don't mind me asking what made you so adamant about the three of us sticking together?" The question had been on my mind ever since she spoke back on the General's airship.

"You and Roman have been the only two people that didn't just want to use me, Athrun. He picked me up when I was just struggling to survive on my own and taught me to survive with the cards given to me. Even though he isn't too much older than us he's kind of like an older brother or really young father to me. But you?" It was captivating, the way her face softened as she reminisced over the past. "I originally just thought you were an idiot, an interesting idiot. I mean seriously? Who tries to steal from Roman Torchwick?"

"You almost got away with it too, decent amount of dust and lien on you, but not enough that it would immediately go noticed. If it was anyone else you would have gotten away with it, but Roman and I are extremely stingy with our profits. Caught you just as you were about to get away with the deed. The look of confusion on your face when I tossed your ass onto the ground almost had me burst out laughing." An innocent chuckle filled my ears.

"Well, what made you not kill me? You had the chance to do so immediately when you caught me." It was a question I always wanted to know the answer too.

"The fact you didn't beg for your life for one thing. You immediately sought for a way to escape, but had the dignity to not grovel at my feet. Another big contributor was that I was bored. For a couple months before we met that day it was just easy and simple robberies, one after the other. So I thought you would give me some form of amusement if I gave you a chance to make it out alive. It was refreshing to see that you had no issue with fighting a girl. Your semblance made things fun too. Chasing you down in that warehouse as you avoided gunfire and my blade for as long as you could while Roman was screaming about how he wanted you dead was the most fun I had in a long time."

She flicked my nose with one of her slim fingers. "That's why I didn't let Roman make sure you were another body floating around the docks of Vale. It occured to me that if I kept you around, then when jobs slow down you could offer me some amusement. The fact you had a cute face also helped."

My cheeks warmed up a bit at that last little tidbit which didn't go unnoticed if the look in Neo's eyes meant anything.

"To be truthful, it would be hard to pinpoint when exactly it happened, but eventually I started seeing you as a friend instead of as a toy to help keep myself occupied. You would try to communicate with me when only Roman ever did before hand. Everyone else was always wary of me, not that I could blame them for it though. Heh, there was even that one day when I was upset with Roman after some stupid argument that I can't even remember the details for. Everyone steered clear of me that day and while I was perched on the rooftop of our hideout at the time you sat next to me with a tub of my favorite ice cream. If I had to guess, that was when I genuinely started to care for you. So don't you worry Athrun, I'll be here for you. And wherever I go Roman will follow. We might not be heroes, but we'll always have each other."

The softness and warmth of Neo's thighs left me as I sat up and met her eyes. I didn't realize it but at some point during her story I grabbed onto one of her free hands, holding it gently as to not aggravate my injuries but enough to know that she was still with me.

"You really won't leave me?" I couldn't help but ask the question one last time.

"What do you think I was trying to tell you with that last story? Of course I won't." The hand I wasn't holding came up to caress my cheek. Her petite body slowly came closer to my own as the distance between our faces, our lips, began to decrease. Our eyes gazed into each other and the moment our lips came into contact I felt all my worries and anxieties melt away.

In the midst of destruction and betrayal I may have finally found a place to return to.


End file.
